


Background Noise

by honeywritessometimes



Category: Hermitcraft
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lots of Angst, but only talked about, evo - Freeform, hermitcraft au, mostly evo, yhs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-07-20 02:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19984609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeywritessometimes/pseuds/honeywritessometimes
Summary: Ripped mercilessly from every world he’s been a part of, Grian is forced into hermitcraft, torn away from his loved ones and everything he knows once more.-Basically, Grian trying to cope with the events of yhs and evo by isolating himself and working towards a... solution.-





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of people seemed really excited for this fic to start, so I genuinely really hope I don’t disappoint. Comments and feedback are appreciated more than anything.
> 
> Trigger warning for description of a panic attack and hints of sensory issues.

When Grian first awoke, he was blearily aware of muddled conversations going on somewhere around him. His eyelids felt too heavy to open. The sounds mixed with one another, hushed and overlapping, but he couldn't acquire the strength to focus on any one voice.

He drifted off once more.

The second time wasn't much better. He still felt like he was adrift in a void, this time darker, but he could feel a presence somewhere near him, accompanied by a shuffling sound as he stirred.

Numbness creeping back over his body, he took in as deep a breath as he could.

"Hey, Doc, get..."

And he fell into unconsciousness again.

The third time, seemingly coming out of a nightmare he had no memory of, he was breathing a little quicker, much more aware of the way his chest heaved and fingers twitched at his side. His eyes shot open, adjusting to the very dimly lit room, fixed on the ceiling.

He heard a bit of murmuring off to his left, and from his right, a soft hand rested on his forearm.

"You alright, love?"

It was a feminine voice, soft and sweet, slightly accented.

"Netty?" Grian murmured, feeling his heart rate slow ever so slightly.

"Hm?"

Eyes finally focusing in the dark room, he sat up suddenly, blood rushing to his head as he did so. Left hand flying to his head, he let out a pained noise, keeping still until the dark spots in his vision faded.

Eyes darting to the shocked girl beside him revealed that it was not Netty, from what he could make out, it was a petite girl with short brown hair and big eyes.

"What..?" Grian choked out. His voice was so raspy that he barely registered it as his own.

"Oh, dear, you're awake!" The hand left his arm, leaving an icy feeling. He shivered.

"Who..."

The girl smiled nervously. He was vaguely aware of the deathly silence on the other side of him.

"Ah, right, I'm Stress," she started up again, her voice now growing more cheery, "Welcome!"

Grian blinked at her owlishly.

"First arriving is always a little disorienting," she continued, laughing lightly. "What's your name, love?"

The louder her voice grew, Grian noted two things.

Her accent had become much more apparent, and he absolutely couldn't stand the sound of her talking.

"Wait," he muttered, growing frustrated despite himself. Stress said something quietly, but stopped herself and stilled.

Pushing his fingers through his hair and grinding his nails against his head, Grian closed his eyes and breathed.

And suddenly they shot open once more.

"No.." he whispered, the realization daunting on him, digging his fingers into his skull. "No, no no no no no..."

His voice edged on manic as his breathing grew more labored and uneven, bringing his other hand up to pull at the collar.

" **NO!** " Grian's eyes were flaring and panicked now, darting around the room of unfamiliar people, bursting out into a sob when Stress reached to touch his shoulder.

Stress retracted her arm in a panic. "Doc, X, do-!"

The next thing Grian remembered doing was opening his eyes to gaze at the wall in front of him, smooth, polished andesite with a gap of glass between two sections, lava bubbling and gurgling behind it.

Tracing the pattern of the wall with his eyes, he lay there, just breathing, willing himself not to think about anything.

That didn't last long, as the dreadful ability to think flooded him, making him blink hard several times.

He recalled the previous experience he had, with the girl he had startled in his blind panic some time ago, and the other strangers that watched him struggle, trying to figure out what to do.

He realized that someone must have helped him calm down at some point, or perhaps, someone had forced him back into an unconscious state.

He knew he was somewhere new.

Blue and red swam through his mind. He remained silent. He continued to observe the pattern on the walls, intricate, but unsymmetrical in a few places. He tried hard not to think.

Footsteps.

He couldn't ignore the sound, hearing them clop into the room he was in. Sounded like fancy dress shoes, he noted.

Reluctantly, Grian pushed himself to a sitting position, resting on his hands behind him and staring at his lap. He knew he would have to deal with someone at some point, but he just wasn't ready.

"Ah," he heard, and he knew, with an overwhelming sense of dread filling the pit of his stomach, that it was time to think again.

Turning his head slowly upwards and to his left, he was met with the sight of a ridiculously tall man with a ridiculous mustache in ridiculously dressy clothes.

"Who the hell wears a suit around the house?" Was the first thing that came out of Grian's mouth, slipping out unintentionally in his tired state.

The man looming over him let out a small, surprised laugh, taking a seat at the foot of the bed Grian lay in. Grian shifted his legs towards himself uncomfortably, making more room.

A bit of silence.

"This isn't evo, is it?"

The question was barely a question, delivered flatly, devoid of any emotion. Grian's face betrayed little more than his tone.

"No," the man said, seeming unsure of himself.

A bit more silence. Grian closed his eyes.

"Silly question, but are you alright?"

Grian nodded, trying to prepare an even, cool tone to speak with.

"Are you sure?" The concern in the other man's eyes seemed genuine. "You didn't seem to be, when you first woke up. Since then, we decided to move you here so you wouldn't get too overwhelmed by so many sights and sounds."

"Yeah," said Grian flatly, "Where is it, then."

His companion fiddled with the end of his sleeves. Grian's eyes focused on that, not wanting to look a person in the eyes any longer. The concern from this stranger was gnawing at him, too difficult to deal with.

"Ah, right, I suppose I'm supposed to introduce you.."

The man cleared his throat. "My name is Mumbo. You're in my base right now, which is one of many belonging to the other Hermits. Most of us live in separate factions, but have a shared shopping district, and see eachother more often than not."

"Where you first woke up... was in the shopping district, where we'd set up a sort of medical tent and took shifts staying with you until you woke up. Right now, we're in the futuristic district. This is my temporary base, hence why it's not very futuristic."

"We weren't really expecting a newcomer this time around, to be honest, but it looks like you're the newest hermit." Mumbo smiled gently down at him, and Grian shrank back further. "And so, we welcome you to Hermitcraft."

Grian took a deep breath, attempting to process the information.

"Okay," he began carefully, "So what am I meant to do?"

"Ah, that's right, we were thinking you could have a spot in the futuristic district as well, as there's an open spot close to my base..."

Grian nodded, swallowing thickly. "One more thing."

"Sure!" Mumbo seemed nice enough. Grian swallowed down any words of gratitude that had risen in his throat on instinct.

"Can you tell me who the other hermits are?" He dared not to let any hope creep into his voice, and he succeeded, but instead spoke with desperation.

"You seem to be adjusting rather well, all considered! Ah, anyways, well, there's me, Xisuma, Doc, Ren..."

Grian listened blankly as Mumbo rattled off the names. He didn't recognize a single one. His heart felt heavier than it had ever been.

"What's your name, by the way? None of us caught it."

"Grian. How do I leave here?"

Mumbo hesitated, a bit startled by the sudden question. "You could stay here for a bit while you get started, if you need."

"No, thanks. How do I leave here?"

It'd been about two months since Grian had shown up in Hermitcraft. Building was something he was very familiar with, so while adjusting to the reality that he'd been ripped away from his home once again, that was what he consumed his time with.

Nothing had stopped hurting. He still felt sick every time he thought of the past, which never seemed to actually leave his mind, causing him to be in a constant state of illness.

The person who'd been by his side for everything...

After gathering enough materials while living in his aquatic starter base, he started on an enormous project, head filled with the need to hurry, although he knew he was in no rush.

He was no longer here.

The other "hermits" had stopped by quite a few times.

The first was his neighbor, Mumbo, checking in on him.

He had been a bit rude to the man, being quite short with him, and though it hurt him to do so, especially since the man was so oblivious.

Mumbo had finally taken the hint, though, and let him be for the most part.

The second was a man clad in a full suit named Xisuma, asking if he was doing alright adjusting, if Mumbo had explained everything okay, if he needed any help, and _god_ , the man just asked too many damn _questions_. He gave short and blunt replies while trying to make it as apparent as possible that he'd like to be left alone.

It worked, and Xisuma hadn't visited him much since, besides the occasional check-in, or to ask to borrow material.

The third was his neighbor again, about a week after he'd awoken.

"Hey, Grian, I don't mean to come off as accusatory in any way, but..."

Grian looked up from where he was organizing his chest to see Mumbo, looking uncharacteristically guilty.

His neighbor's eyes saddened. "...but, you haven't really made an effort with any of us since you came here."

Grian was prepared for this to happen, a mean-spirited, sarcastic grin spreading across his face. "What're you gonna do, cry about it?"

"I..."

He felt guilty seeing the look of hurt cross his neighbor's face, but he was spared the sight as Mumbo turned on his heel with a quiet apology and took off out of his base.

The fourth, and most painful, about a month later, was Stress, the girl who held his arm as he came out of his nightmare, the first person he'd met in this god forsaken place.

She seemed to be such a sweet person, wanting to see how he was doing and perhaps go for a day out, but her voice sounded a bit too familiar for his taste, and it physically hurt to talk to her.

"I thought we could hang out, though, the others and I would absolutely love to get to know you, promise!"

Trying not to be too harsh, he explained plainly that he'd rather be left alone, and she kindly obliged.

Most of the others had stopped by at some point to say hello, and introduce themselves briefly. To this, Grian simply did the same and signaled nonverbally that he wanted to be left alone.

It was terrifying how easy it could be to isolate yourself.

Grian wasn't a bad person, and he definitely wasn't mean, or rude, or anything he came across in these interactions.

Hell, he didn't even want to do this. He loved people. He valued his friends more than anything.

But he'd be damned if he was going to let himself grow close to any of these people when he knew they'd just be torn away from him again some day.

So he did what he had to. Bitter and spiteful, he kept to himself, only flying to others' bases to pull stupid pranks, their disappointed looks causing him to laugh midair, cynical and empty. He hardly felt like himself, but he did what he thought that he had to.

His base was coming along quite nicely despite being such a large project. Slowly building upwards with stained concrete and glass, it was beginning to be quite impressive. He spent the majority of his time on it.

And for a little, everything was fine, in the most fragile, horrible way that made his head and heart ache terribly.

His temporary numbness was shattered when one of the hermits dropped in, asking to talk. His heart dropped, looking up at the larger, bearded man, who he vaguely remembered as Iskall.

"Okay," Grian swallowed.

They took seats opposite of eachother, both resting on the shulker boxes that littered Grian's floor.

"What's with you?" Iskall asked bluntly, leaving no room to avoid the question.

Grian opened his mouth to say something, and closed it. He looked down at his hands, not knowing how to respond.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Iskall filled the silence for him. "Ever since you showed up, you've barely talked to any of us. You've been nothing short of disrespectful to everyone who's offered you help. What's your problem, man?"

Grian shook slightly, trying to add some sort of edge, some sort of bite to his words. "I don't have a problem. Mind your business."

It just came out weak and pained.

Iskall raised his voice, clearly growing fed up with Grian's lack of cooperation.

"If you need something, you can just ask one of us, you know that, right?"

"I don't need to, and if luck's on my side, I never will."

"Whatever, man, if you keep this up, you're going to die alone here," the other man said, visibly frustrated. "You realize this is an active decision you are making?"

"I know," Grian managed through gritted teeth.

"More power to you."

With an eye roll and a quick elytra adjustment, Iskall turned and made a begrudging exit from his base.

As soon as his companion left, Grian sucked in a breath and pressed his back against the wall roughly, sinking down to the floor and bracing for impact. He felt the attack build and build, swelling until his breath caught in his throat and waited for it to crash down on him and pull him deep under, waiting, almost begging to be engulfed.

But it never hit.

It trickled away like water at the beginning of a creek, flowing through the cracks of his mind and dampening the ground below him, leaving him with nothing but silence for company.

There was a fragile sort of chaos about it, a tender and aching feeling pushing through his lungs and soaking the creek dry.

He grasped at anything around him, deathly silent, but everything felt like rough fabric and burned at his skin until he couldn't feel at all anymore.

He _did_ need to, desperately, but dammit, he just _couldn't_.

He woke up just a few hours later, late into the night, in the same place and position, pain shooting through the side of his neck.

Cracking it painfully, he managed to stand, keeping steady by pressing his hand against the cool wall. His head throbbed and he grew lightheaded. Figures.

And that was the night he realized.

He needed to figure out how to go back.

By any means necessary.

Stepping away from the wall, his hand dropped, and so did the helpless feeling in his heart, now filling with hurt and resolve all the same.

Feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline, he grabbed several items from his ender chest and dashed across the room, jumping and taking flight easily, making his way through the night sky to his neighbor's base.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grian asks for a bit of help from his neighbor on a very important project. Purely business, of course.
> 
> Also, Stress tricks him into hanging out with her. 
> 
> Great fun :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I genuinely cried while reading all the kind things you guys said in the comments on here and the asks on tumblr. Thank you all so much, it means the world to me.
> 
> I would really appreciate feedback! It’s the reason I’m continuing to write this. 
> 
> Trigger warning for swearing.

"Grian."

Grian shifted from foot to foot anxiously.

Mumbo's stare was unwavering, making the bags under his eyes more apparent. Grian noticed he was hunched over slightly. "It's two in the morning."

"Sorry," Grian said, faltering. He looked down and adjusted his elytra straps as if preparing to take back off, but Mumbo interrupted with a sigh and a small chuckle, surprising him.

Grian's head snapped up to see his neighbor smiling down wearily at him, clearly exhausted, but face kind and gentle. He felt his stomach stir a bit with an emotion he didn't have the capacity to recognize yet.

"I'm not sure if my capabilities are up to par, but I'd be willing to help in any way I can. Let's move somewhere more comfortable, though, you know?"

One thing led to another, resulting in Grian laying upside down on a spare bed, hands moving animatedly as he rambled about his lack of redstone skill and knowledge, with Mumbo spread out lazily in the floor, back against the wall, listening idly.

"Hey," Mumbo interrupted Grian's frustrated spiel about not knowing 'what in the fresh hell' a comparator was, "I have a question."

Grian placed his hands on the floor and walked himself outwards, back thumping onto the floor and legs still hooked on the bed. "Shoot."

"As I said earlier, it's pretty late at night."

Grian placed one foot against the side of the bed, pushing the rest of his body outwards and propping himself up on his elbows.

"I was awake working on a tough project. Not the healthiest decision, admittedly, but I'll catch up."

Grian had finally managed to push himself into a sitting position, facing the bed still.

"Cool," he said, trying to appear disinterested. He tried to drill it into his head not to become too vulnerable to Mumbo in his sleep-deprived state.

"Why were you?" It was said carefully, as if he was afraid Grian would snap.

Grian felt his elbows lock in place. "What do you mean?"

"Why were you awake at this time too?"

Grian felt his breath hitch, body going completely stiff as he racked his brain for what to say.

All that swam through his mind were the feelings of distress after his confrontation with Iskall. The remembered feeling of panic drenched his body, falling from his head lower and seeping into his chest, weakening his heart until it warped and bent like paper soaked in water. He knew, realistically, that those emotions were not ones he was experiencing right now, but it didn't stop him from feeling like it in the moment.

"Grian?" Mumbo's voice pulled him back to reality, worried and soft. He felt a hand land softly on his shoulder and shivered lightly at the human contact. He hadn't realized how touch starved he was after over two months of self isolation. It made sense, but he still subconsciously leaned into the touch.

"Are you okay?"

And there they were. The fatal words. The sound of them shot a spike of panic through his spine.

"No, no, nope absolutely not, not doing this right now, not answering that." He pulled away from the hand on his shoulder and turned around finally.

"Uh.. okay, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to." He noticed Mumbo was closer to him now than before, hand still outreached slightly and posture seemingly ready to act.

Grian's eyes widened slightly at that, and he felt just the tiniest pang of sadness in his chest, but he scooted further away nonetheless.

Taking a deep breath, he began to regain his composure, "I brought some materials along, so you wouldn't have to spare yours if you couldn't. I can also try to help, but I'm honestly not any good at redstone."

Taking the hint, Mumbo smiled patiently. "No worries. I have plenty of spare material when it comes to redstone. Let's see what you have, though."

Grian straightened his back and tapped his two fingers in the air twice, his inventory appearing before him. Dragging with his fingers certain items to his hotbar, he swiped a couple of the items he'd grabbed out, piles of redstone dust and other trinkets he didn't know the name of spilling onto the ground between them.

Mumbo took in the pile of materials, wide-eyed. He picked up some redstone dust, letting it slip through his fingers back onto the ground as Grian closed his inventory. "How did you get all of this?"

"Grinding," Grian said, "I didn't know if or when I would need redstone stuff, so I stocked up on all the recipes I came across."

"Wow.." Mumbo murmured, picking up a stack of repeaters to fiddle with one. "So, you never actually told me what you need my help with."

"Right. Well, long story short..."

He looked Mumbo dead on without hesitation or fear for the first time that night.

"I need to make a portal."

"Okay, so let me get this straight."

Grian stayed silent, allowing for Mumbo to say what he needed to.

"You need my help to make a portal."

"Yeah."

"It's not a nether portal, nor is it an end portal, but from your knowledge, it should vaguely resemble a nether portal."

"That's about right."

"And you need it to lead not to another dimension, but to somewhere else, that you won't specify to me."

"Pretty much."

"And," Mumbo closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "You don't actually have the slightest idea of how to make it and whether or not it will involve redstone."

Grian clicked his tongue in response.

"Okay," Mumbo let out a breath, "Okay."

Grian's fingers tapped at his leg idly, nails rapping against the fabric of his jeans. "You don't have to-"

"No, no, I want to," Mumbo interrupted, shoulders slumping in defeat, "But I do want something in return."

"..What's that?"

"I want you to talk to me."

"Huh?" Grian blinked at the man in front of him.

"I want you to tell me about what's going on with this... 'project', at some point, and more importantly, I want you to be open about other things."

Grian thought about this for a moment, growing a little anxious despite himself.

"To an extent." He said slowly, carefully, and it was almost worth it seeing the genuine smile that split across Mumbo's face.

Key word: almost.

It was nearly four in the morning now, and the two were at bedrock level in a small opening they'd dug out together.

Grian was pacing in circles, weaving around the lumps of bedrock that were at a higher elevation, while Mumbo stood, hand on his chin, staring at the mess they'd made, pensive.

"This was stupid." Grian muttered. His hands were fixed behind his back as he paced.

Sighing and coming to a stop beside Mumbo, "Thanks for helping me, but I don't know why we decided to start this at 3 am. I honestly don't know where to go from here."

Mumbo glanced over, looking down at Grian. "You said it often involved bedrock, right? This is a good start, then."

"My point still stands."

Mumbo was watching his companion carefully, analyzing all the small details, his defeated posture, the bags under his eyes, the frustrated look accentuated by his eyebrows being drawn together, and the absolute exhaustion and hopelessness beneath it all.

"Hey."

Grian looked up tiredly.

"You were right. This wasn't the best time, especially for brainstorming. But we've gotten a good amount of grinding done for the coming days, and we'll be able to make better strides after we get some rest. Promise."

Mumbo could see Grian's eyes beginning to water from his spot next to the man.

"You think so?"

"I do. Come on, let's go get some sleep, yeah? You can crash here tonight," Mumbo said gently, smiling reassuringly, "It'll all work out."

Grian felt tears well up in his eyes, an eternally grateful smile forming on his face, when the realization hit him like a truck.

"No," he said roughly, "I can't."

At this, Mumbo seemed confused, reaching out to touch his companion's shoulder, but Grian flinched away.

"I have to go back to my base. Thanks for the offer, though."

It was as if Mumbo was speaking to a completely different person.

"Well, alright, then, I suppose.." he said hesitantly, "Let's go up and get you ready to fly back, and I'll put the materials you brought somewhere safe."

Deflecting the way the consequences of his decision jabbed at his heart and prickled at his skin like dozens of sewing needles, Grian nodded blankly and wasted no time making his way back up to Mumbo's base.

Once they'd said an uncomfortable, unwilling goodbye, Grian made quick work of the sky between their bases, determined to get home as soon as possible.

Immediately after arriving, he curled in on himself on his bed, letting out a breath as he let his head fall against the headboard with a painful bang.

This was going to be so _fucking_ hard.

Two days later, Grian got an alert on his communicator. It wasn't often he used the thing, as he was making an effort not to interact with the others above the bare minimum, but for the first time, it was a private message.

[New Private Message with Mumbo Jumbo]

Mumbo > hey gri

Mumbo > work on project tonight?

Grian started for a moment, debating how safe it was to reply. After a minute or two, he typed something out carefully.

Grian > sure. we need anything?

Mumbo > great!

Mumbo > actually, yeah, need you to stop by shopping district & pick up a couple shulker boxes

Mumbo > want to color code material boxes for different solutions

Grian> are u serious

Mumbo > organization is key grian

Mumbo> I've seen your damn base

To Grian's horror, he actually found himself grinning down at his communicator, shoulders shaking with mirth. It wasn't quite a laugh, but it was certainly far too much for his taste.

Grian > ok, I'll get like 6

Mumbo > should be good. see you later!

Trying to shake away any feelings of what he _definitely_ would _not_ call affection, he put the com away, sliding it into his jean pocket and preparing his elytra.

As soon as he arrived at the shopping district, trying to inconspicuously make his way towards the shulker shop, he knew he was in trouble.

There was a girl shorter than him walking down the path in the opposite direction, swinging her arms as she walked, humming to herself. She wore a pastel pink cardigan.

Averting his eyes tentatively, Grian kept on, then halting when he heard a pleasantly surprised "Oh!"

_Oh, god_ , Grian screwed his eyes tightly shut before opening them again and trying to continue on his way.

To his dismay, she was by his side in an instant, walking alongside him.

"Hey there!" Grian looked over to see the girl smiling brightly at him, "Don't see you out 'ere often! What're you up to?"

Grian let out a frustrated sigh, ready to tell her off. "Listen, I-"

His breath hitched as she tilted her head at him, wide eyed, and he knew he couldn't do this to her.

"...Stress, was it?"

Bright smile returning to her face, she nodded enthusiastically, seemingly happy that he remembered her name.

"That's me! So where ya headed?"

Grian didn't know why, but he just... melted. He knew he had to be careful, but Stress was just one of those people that you couldn't help but lower your guard for, which he knew was dangerous, but the urge to give in, at least just the tiniest bit, was far too strong.

Shoulders slumping from their tense position, he spoke quietly, "Shulker shop."

Stress visibly brightened.

If Grian was going to be honest with himself, the stroll was nothing short of pleasant. Stress had been rambling about her plans for her castle, asking him about his base, and how things were coming along. He mentioned that he was thinking about creating an aviary, making her very excited, and in turn making him feel excited.

What an odd thing, to experience excitement over something with another person again.

It couldn't hurt just to be polite to her, after all.

When they were exiting the shop together, chatting mindlessly, his heart felt just a little bit lighter. Until, "Say, Grian, don't ya ever get lonely in that big base of yours?"

It was that feeling, one he recognized easily, where your blood seems to solidify in your veins, signifying true dread.

"Not really," He said blankly.

"Well, that's good, I suppose!" Stress turned to him, voice genuine, "How about we hang out a bit today?"

Grian felt his voice go shaky. He knew this would go wrong. "Thanks, but I don't really need to."

"Well, what if I do?"

Grian blinked at that, stopping in his tracks to look at her. She stopped too, turning around and crossing her arms.

"Please? If not for you, then I could use the company."

Grian hesitated. He didn't really have anything else to do until later, did he? Besides, it couldn't hurt just this once, only to placate her, he reasoned.

"Alright, then."

And he'll never be able to quite describe accurately the look on her face when she lit up, clapping her hands together while she jumped up and down, squealing.

"Friend date! Friend date!" Her laugh was carefree and easy as she swung by him, grabbing his arm to pull him in the opposite direction they'd been walking, starting to sprint. He let her, running along while she laughed joyfully, cardigan flowing behind her, copying her as she kicked off the ground and glided into the air on her elytra.

And oh, was her joy contagious.

It certainly helped to be whizzing through air with her, both refusing to slow, making ducks and dives around structures, twisting and turning as Stress laughed and laughed and laughed.

Having a marvelous, devious idea, Grian switched out his fireworks after using one, acting as if he'd ran out.

"Stress!" He called out in alarm, plummeting towards the ground at breakneck speed. She looked down just as he was about to hit the ground and screamed, when he glided just over the pavement, switching back to fireworks to glide back up again.

He cackled in that empty way he did when he pulled pranks, feeling his apathetic trickster persona come on instinctively. But when he glided past her upside down, grinning cynically, she broke out into peels of laughter again, shoving him midair.

"Grian!" She wheezed, "You, evil, evil little man!"

Laughter invaded her system again, and Grian just froze, floating, watching her. The persona left him suddenly, and he felt a real, genuine smile pull at his face, putting his hand against his forehead as he exhaled forcefully through his nose.

Fooling around, just like old times.

And it felt so familiar when he started to follow her again blindly, doing little tricks in midair to make her gasp, applaud, and then laugh when he bowed (he really was quite the skilled flier).

And it felt so familiar when she signaled, yelling over the wind rushing by their ears that this was their stop, and to follow her down.

She led him to a large, flat area of grass where there were several marked plots of land, a couple sealed off with fence with buildings inside.

Landing lightly on his feet as Stress stumbled down, Grian yawned, trying to pop his ears. "So what's this about?"

Catching her breath, Stress replied, "We'll get to that love, but first, have you eaten yet?"

"No-" Grian yelped as Stress' head snapped towards him, eyes narrow and blazing, "-oh my god, please stop doing that- Stress, stop, you're terrifying- holy shit-"

"You! Need! To! Take! Care! Of! Your! Self!" Stress accentuated each syllable with a slap to his arm as he cowered from her.

"Relax! It's not that late into the day!" He defended himself.

Stress finally laid off, tapping at the air to view her inventory, swiping and and searching through boxes. "Lucky for you, I always have cake on me, in case of emergency friend dates."

She pulled out a yellow shulker box, bringing out a circular object covered in tinfoil.

"I don't really need..."

"What was that?" she asked innocently, closing the box and dragging it back into her inventory.

Grian moved his arm and winced, grabbing it. "You're abusive. Fine, fine."

And despite himself, he smiled once more.

After getting situated in a nice spot on the grass and preparing their food, Stress started talking again, this time about the project they were currently surrounded by. Apparently she had put several chickens up for adoption, a couple already taken.

"And the best part about this is," she said between bites of cake, "They're very useful! If you feed them stacks of nether quartz, they produce sand. I put a lot of work into that, you know!"

She laughed again, an easy, happy sound. "All you have to do is provide them with the kind of biome they prefer in their pens."

"I'm interested," Grian said genuinely. He didn't particularly need sand, but he had always loved chickens and pets, and he thought it could be nice to have a non-human companion with him while he worked on the portal.

"Really?!" Stress was growing excited again. Did this girl ever run out of energy? "That's amazing! I'll introduce you to them all when we're done!"

After a few minutes of idle chatting, Grian lay his empty plate and fork down next to him, lying down flat on the grass, arms crossed under his head. A few moments later, Stress joined him, hair spilling on the ground. She laid her hands on her stomach and splayed out her legs.

They lay in silence for a while, just staring ahead.

Grian could see the tallest trees in his peripheral, waving in the light breeze. Clouds passed overhead, ever so slowly. It was almost silent except for the rustling of the leaves and occasional chirp of a bird in the distance. He usually didn't like pure silence, so this was perfect.

"You know..." Stress spoke up. For once, Grian didn't mind, and waited for her to continue.

"I'm glad you came with me today."

Her voice was just as soft as it was that first day he came here. Despite her loudness and energy, he realized just how gentle and sweet she could be. She had always given off sort of motherly vibes.

Grian felt emotion bubble up in his throat. Without attempting to stop himself, he said, "Me too."

"Really?"

He couldn't see her face, but he knew she was smiling. Attempting to play it off, he said, "I mean, yeah, I needed a break from building, and I really do want a chicken."

"Okay," she replied, laughing quietly, and he knew she didn't believe him at all.

Just two people, two hermits, not-being-friends on a warm summer day.

Stress was standing next to Grian in front of the chicken pen, arms locked behind her back and posture confident.

"Chickens have STRONG personalities," Stress began, her voice starting to take on an authoritative tone, "They're either very friendly or not very friendly at all. Most of the time you can tame them down, especially if you've owned it since it was a pullet or cockerel, so you should probably pick a young one."

She cleared her throat and gestured towards a few chickens. "As long as you continue to take care of it as it grows into a hen or rooster, it should be easier to get along with and is more likely to be very friendly and affectionate towards you."

Grian nodded, wondering in the back of his head how the hell she knew this much about chicken personalities.

Stress crouched down and fiddled with the locks at the opening, allowing Grian and herself in quickly, shutting it behind them.

Grian dropped to his knees, grinning at all the little feathered creatures surrounding him. One in particular caught his eye. A rather young one, who looked up at him curiously.

He reached out tentatively to pet it, pausing to look up at Stress for permission. She nodded, and he stroked his thumb across the top of its head a few times. The little thing moved its head against Grian's palm, leaning into the touch. His breath caught in his throat. It was perfect.

"Who's this little one?"

"That there would be Sally! Seems ta be a sweetheart. Interested?"

Gently attempting to scoop her into his arms, he gazed at her fondly, already falling in love.

"I'll take her," he said earnestly, turning back to look at Stress and standing, but not before placing Sally gently back on the ground.

"Ahh!" Stress yelled happily, wrapping him in a hug in one fell swoop, "That's amazing!"

Grian went absolutely stiff as a board, guard returning. His shoulders hunched together from the contact and he sort of turtled in on himself, just as she pulled away.

"Not a hugger, huh?" Stress joked, letting go and turning back to the gate. "Ah, I'll get ya someday!"

As Stress handled Sally and attempted to get her situated for adoption, he let himself breath in and out slowly, finally uncurling his shoulders. He felt his eyes water, and started blinking rapidly in response. It had been so long since anyone had hugged him. It was forbidden, it was incredible, it was horrible, and he just didn't know how to act.

Was he really that touch starved?

He was brought back to reality when Stress turned to him, holding Sally in her arms and grinning brightly. He attempted to smile back, succeeding when he gingerly took the small chicken from her arms into his.

"So, are you going to build her a habitat here, or take her home?" Stress asked, "She'll only produce sand if you build a habitat in her pen here."

"Take her home," Grian said quietly, looking down at Sally, who had begun to settle down and relax in his arms. "I don't have much use for sand anyways."

A buzz from his communicator startled him, shifting his arms carefully to free one and take it out of his pocket.

Mumbo > hey, gonna be dark in like an hour

Mumbo > wanna start heading over? & did u pick up the shulker boxes

It was difficult to type with one hand, but he managed, Stress laughing quietly at him.

Grian > yes and yes

Grian > just have to stop at my base to drop something off first

Grian > see u in a bit

"I have to go," he said suddenly, looking up and stuffing the com back in his pocket.

"Sure thing! Before you go, though-"

And he knew what was coming, so ignoring her, he took off into the sky, trying to find his way back to the shopping district while cradling Sally safely in his arms.

Stress watched him leave, a little hurt at first, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy. She took out her com and typed something out.

[ New Private Message to Grian ]

stress > we should hang out again soon,

stress > this was fun!

stress > have a great night :)

She smiled warmly at the com before pocketing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everybody say “thank you, claire” for the pet chicken information (if u know, u know)
> 
> If you’re reading this and don’t know my tumblr, go follow me! I post updates while I’m writing chapters, as well as other content for this fic such as art, and answer your asks about it :) it’s honeymakeshappy.
> 
> Stress comes off as such a kind and caring friend to me, so I just had to make her play a major part. Definitely will be using her more later on, although I’m gonna focus more on Mumbo and Iskall next chapter, I believe. 
> 
> Comments and asks are appreciated more than anything :) <3


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grian has a revelation while working with Mumbo on the portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So I went on a (pretty short) break from this fic due to mental health complications (I’m okay, information is on my blog) and I finally felt comfortable enough to write another chapter!
> 
> Thank you all for your patience and continued support. I wouldn’t be writing this if it weren’t for your kind comments and asks. I love you all so so much! Head over to my tumblr for more information and Hermitcraft art!
> 
> Trigger warning for panic and yhs mention.

Grian was trying to find a sensible place to keep Sally when his communicator buzzed in his jeans. Taking it out, he saw he had received messages from both Stress and Mumbo- he must've missed some while flying home.

[3 new messages from Stressmonster101]

stress > we should hang out again soon,

stress > this was fun!

stress> have a great night :)

Mentally making a note to wait a considerable amount of time before seeing her again, he opened the messages with his neighbor.

[2 new messages from Mumbo (my neighbor)]

mumbo > hey man

mumbo > so. basically. I have some ideas.

grian > ?

mumbo > are you still at your base?

mumbo > please grab something to write with. I have plenty of paper

grian > yeah I'm still here.

Grian glanced over at Sally, who was wandering over to his Nether portal curiously. Cursing and running over to scoop her up, he balanced her on one hip to type something.

grian > I have to take care of something real quick. I'll grab some pens too

mumbo > perfect, thanks

Sally clucked at him quietly. Sighing, he looked at her fondly, unable to stay too frustrated with her.

"I really should've asked Stress about an enclosure..." he mumbled to himself.

Eventually he settled on making the inside of one of the pillars he was building a bit more comfortable for her, quickly putting up a gate in the hole he'd made. Grabbing some pens as requested, he prepared himself mentally and physically to head over.

"Hey!" Mumbo called out, stood on one of the outer rings of his base. "Good to see you!"

Grian watched his neighbor, with a small bit of amusement, carefully inch his way across the ring back to the walkable platforms.

"Hey, so, where can we go to work?" Grian started, immediately getting to the point. "It's pretty dark by now, so what with phantoms and all, I don't think it'd be pleasant to do it out here."

"Right, of course, I've stored the supplies down it that hole we dug out? It might not be the most comfortable, but we have plenty of space."

Grian nodded.

This would be okay. Purely business.

When it came down to it, it didn't feel like business.

Mumbo has decided before heading down that they should grab some blankets, so they wouldn't have to sit on hard bedrock, and Grian agreed, helping him carry them down. They'd spread them out in a relatively flat area, Grian plopping down cross-legged while Mumbo rummaged through his ender chest.

Grian watched the redstone trinkets be placed gently onto the hard bedrock, handled with extensive care. Mumbo also brought out several stacks of paper, normal-sized and large, before closing the chest.

"So," Mumbo began, seating himself next to Grian, "First things first: brainstorming."

Holding out his hand, Grian quickly realized what he wanted, handing his companion a pen.

Mumbo took it gratefully, spinning it in his fingers elegantly, grabbing some paper and backing.

Grian watched the pen spin around and between Mumbo's fingers, light and rhythmic. He felt a stirring in his gut. It was so familiar.

"You listening?"

Fingers snapped in his face, and he instinctively flinched, bringing his arm up an instant to cover his face, screwing his eyes shut.

Breathing heavily when no impact hit, he kept his position guarded, better positioning his elbow, having learned his lesson previously. He was always full of tricks, trying to get Grian to let his guard down so he could strike.

Grian's chest continued to heave. The realization crept into him, slowly, mocking him for being so stupid. He opened his eyes tentatively to see Mumbo's face staring back at him, genuinely afraid.

_Oh?_ Grian thought, lowering his arm, _oh, no, oh no..._

"I-" his words caught in his throat.

"Grian.." Mumbo's voice was soft and tender, full of sadness, guilt, and second-hand pain.

_Oh, no..._

He had been dealing with everything else. But this?

This was just too much.

When Grian remembered his time with Sam, it was almost always painful.

_But it would be okay_ , Grian remembered with a sudden sob, _because he was always there when I had these moments_.

_Say his name, dammit_ , he thought to himself angrily, holding his head as the tears fell. _Coward. Say his name._

_Taurtis. Taurtis was always with me. He was always there. Always there when this happened._

_And now he's gone._

_And it's all my fault._

"Grian!"

He barely heard the shout above his head- why was it above his head? He remembered the position he was in, forehead pressed to the ground, fingers intertwined into his hair. He remembered his tears, his breathing, he remembered the numbers, the counting, but the breathing, the breathing.

_4..7...8._

"Grian?"

Grian was now aware of the noises that he'd been making, the helpless whimpers and cries, and that they were starting to quiet. His breathing was starting to even, too.

Funny, how he never realized he was hyperventilating until it was over.

With all the strength he had left, Grian pulled up his head, bringing his knees together. He grew dizzy, put still managed to lift his arms to cross them in his knees so he could bury his head in them.

He sat like that for a moment, just breathing. He heard shifting around him, and a solid warmth pressed to his side, that felt suspiciously like the side of another person. He let it stay there, he let it stabilize him. He hadn't realized he was still shaking until pressed up against the thing, solid and unwavering, grounding. Warm.

He lifted his head slightly, so that only his eyes were visible. This confirmed that Mumbo was no longer in front of him, afraid and confused, but right beside him, sitting against him.

Letting his eyes fall closed again, he continued to breathe. Logically, he knew he would have to address the situation at some point, but for now, sitting here was enough.

Eventually, Grian was able to lift his head from his arms. Every part of his body suddenly felt so heavy.

"Grian...?"

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"No, no, don't be sorry, but are you okay now?"

He swallowed, subconsciously pressing closer to his companion. "Yeah."

Grian knew what was coming.

"What... was that about?"

Grian closed his eyes once more. He'd made a promise, a commitment. This was his end of the bargain. He had to talk.

"I thought you were going to hit me," Grian said simply, hoping that would be enough.

It wasn't. "I- Grian, why would you think that? Do you really think I would hurt you?"

Grian sighed. "No, not you. You seem nice enough."

Mumbo was quiet, so he reluctantly continued.

"The way you were twirling the pen reminded me of someone. For a moment, I thought he was with me."

Mumbo remained quiet.

"Someone from your old world?"

Grian's breath caught in his throat.

"From Evo, right?"

"No," Grian said flatly, but when he turned to look at Mumbo, his eyes were pained and pleading. "Not Evo. Can we be done for now?"

Mumbo's eyes went wide. "Of course, of course, I- I don't ever want to make you uncomfortable."

Grian nodded shakily, finally pushing himself away from Mumbo to sit across from him.

"I don't want to have another night where.. where I have some issue or other and we can't work on the project. So... I'm going to have some water, could we get started after?”

"Sure thing."

By the time they were sat opposite one another again, Mumbo holding the pen and paper, Grian cross-legged in front of him, he certainly felt much better.

He noticed that Mumbo was keeping the pen still as could be in his hand.

"So let's jot down some notes about what we already know. Uh... what... what do we know?"

Grian thought for a moment. Grabbing his own pen, he motioned Mumbo to sit beside him and lay the paper down. Once he did, Grian leaned over it and wrote _Portal_ at the top. Rising back up, he thought again.

"Well, it usually involves bedrock, and it vaguely resembled a Nether portal."

"Right." Mumbo made two bullets, _bedrock_ and _nether-like_.

Next to the "bedrock" bullet, Grian wrote in parenthesis, _(not naturally generated)_.

Mumbo's eyes widened, and he looked back at Grian.

"Is that going to be a problem?"

"Maybe...? We can probably work with what we have."

"Do you remember what the portals looked like?"

Grian leaned over the paper, fringe falling in front of his eyes. He roughly sketched out a rectangle, encircled by a larger one, cut off into pieces in the shape of the Evo symbol. He wrote the word _Portal_ in the smaller rectangle.

"It was indented into the wall," Grian added, rising. Mumbo wrote that down with an arrow pointing to the sketch. "We would have to buildstone staircases to reach it. We'd use the buddy system, and go in two at a time."

He laughed lightly. "We always made Mini go alone, though, sort of a running gag. Netty and I-"

The weight of reality fell on his shoulders, and his eyes grew sad. Mumbo listened in sympathy, but intrigue.

"The indented bits around the portal were what was made of bedrock." He said suddenly, completely ignoring what he’d just said. "That might not be necessary, though."

"So these portals... they were reoccurring instances..?"

"Yeah... they were related to..." Grian abruptly leaned onto the paper again with another bullet, _update-exclusive_.

They talked for a little while longer, filling the sheet with all the details they already knew. Eventually they ended up moving on to other sheets, where they brainstormed ideas on how they would get it to work.

"Maybe the significance of the bedrock is just something strong. Do you think it could still function if we substituted it with obsidian?" Mumbo mused.

Grian shook his head. "It's not a symbol of strength. There's a reason it was placed bedrock. It was a symbol of power."

"Still, it's worth writing down though, right?"

"I guess so."

Secretly, Grian had a lot of hope inside of him that it would be that easy.

It was hours later when, after deciding to build a layout together, the portal and symbols were successfully carved into the wall, the only thing missing being the bedrock and obsidian.

Grian felt a strong jab of painful nostalgia in his chest the whole time they were building it, and when they stepped back to view their work, he damn near cried, but Mumbo wasn't aware of that.

"I want to put the portal in."

"Huh?" Mumbo turned to look at the shorter man, who had a look of fierce determination in his eyes. "I thought we were going to wait for that?"

"Just for a moment. We can extinguish it right after. Just for a moment."

"...Okay, go on."

Grian didn't wait for permission, though, as he was already grabbing the obsidian from the supply chest and making his way shakily over to the portal.

His heart felt too heavy to place the stone staircase yet, so he dirt-scaffolded his way up, stepping into the enclosure they'd made. The perfect size.

"Careful." Mumbo warned.

He placed the obsidian, one by one, into the spaces inside the wall. Clicking the flint and steel a couple of times until it lit, he held the flame to the bottom of the frame. A shimmering mirage of purple, like a wall of stained glass, appeared shimmering before him. Particles floated around it. Stepping out slightly, he destroyed his scaffolding and hopped down to the ground.

"Are you okay?"

"Give me a minute," Grian replied, asking for quiet.

He pulled up his inventory, and saw them. Stone stairs. Tapping and dragging them into the real world, they manifested in his hands, and he closed his inventory with a swipe and two taps.

He placed them one by one, messily as always, making a way up to the portal. He could almost here their voices, the friendly jokes at eachother, the speculation, the picking of buddies, the playful jabs at Mini, their laughter. He kept putting down the stairs as Tom protested his sudden lack of a partner and the others laughed at him lightly.

He stepped down a couple steps after placing the final one, his friends still messing around and laughing behind him.

He grinned and turned to look back at them, and Mumbo looked right back, a sad look in his eyes. The room was quiet.

A tender, aching feeling burned in his heart. Mumbo climbed the stairs to stand next to him, dousing the newly lit portal with water, extinguishing it. He hadn’t even realized he was carrying the bucket.

“Come on, Gri.” Mumbo smiled gently at him, his eyes empathetic and soft. “It’s time to go back to the ground now.”

Grian looked down to where the floor was. It was only a couple steps away. All he needed to do was take two steps. But he understood what Mumbo meant, and that second-long trek downwards was one of the hardest things he’s done since he’d arrived at Hermitcraft.

There was an unspoken agreement between them that both understood, though neither knew what the agreement was. But as they were sitting in Mumbo’s guest bedroom again, talking idly, there was some sort of mutual understanding of a set of rules that neither of them actually knew.

It was an odd feeling, but it was nice to feel on the same page as someone, as it always is.

And so when Grian mentioned that Evo functioned a little differently than most servers, Mumbo simply looked up at him from the floor and nodded. And he was encouraged.

“I was the... leader, I guess you could say. I was able to do things that the others couldn’t. I hardly ever took advantage of this, to be honest, but...”

“I had commands. I didn’t really use them for the most part, but I could, if I ever desperately needed to. And I was just thinking, this could be so much easier if I could just, ‘slash give’ myself some bedrock, y’know?”

Grian laughed, but it had no mirth in it. It was hollow. “God, I wish someone had commands in this server.”

He looked down at Mumbo, who now looked confused.

“Grian, we have an admin, it’s Xisuma, remember? Didn’t we tell you that when you first came here?”

“What?”

Grian was on his feet in an instant, eyes blown wide in shock, starting to ring his hands furiously.

“You okay? Hey-“

“Mumbo.”

“..Yeah?” Mumbo was on his feet too, now, and Grian was looking him in the eyes with so much hope, energy and resolve that he had to look away.

“This changes everything.”

He looked back at Grian, who was now smiling widely, the corner of his eyes crinkling up as they teared. And in that moment, he looked happier than Mumbo had ever seen him, so he pushed down the feeling of premonition that came with Grian’s sudden enthusiasm.

“Okay. Meet back here tomorrow to discuss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for reading! Comments and asks mean a whooole lot to me, so if you end up leaving one, thanks so much, you’re part of the reason I’m still writing this! 
> 
> Don’t forget to follow me on tumblr for more bg noise and Hermitcraft content :0 (honeymakeshappy)


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grian makes a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for swearing.
> 
> Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter, I had fun writing it. Comments and asks are appreciated more than anything, I promise I read and love them all! They’re what inspire me to keep writing! 
> 
> The fic is now planned out in its entirety, btw :)

The next day was a "trial and error" day, as Mumbo gently called it, and as Grian affectionately referred to it, the "fuck-ups and wasting our time" day.

"We can't just rush into it, Grian." Mumbo had said to him, "I know you want this to work, but I think we're working on something bigger than I originally thought..."

Grian had tried to protest, but Mumbo, looking down at him sternly, had added, "You don't want this to go badly, do you? We should make sure it's nearly perfect before calling it complete."

And so, there Grian was, note pages plastered everywhere as he was gathering obsidian with water and lava, slowly but surely. The task was grating on him, and he was growing more and more weary as time went on. Once he'd collected all that he needed to, he was severely lightheaded.

The familiar clop of dress shoes could be heard making their way down the stairs. He watched the entrance tiredly until Mumbo appeared in the doorway.

"Grian?"

Grian blinked at him tiredly. "Yeah?"

The taller man approached Grian slowly, who was crouched on the floor at his makeshift obsidian farm. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Uhhhh.." Grian paused, "What time is it?"

"About 7 P.M.?"

"Oh, shit." Grian laughed tiredly, rubbing his cheek. "No wonder I'm so hungry. I forgot to eat breakfast. And lunch. And dinner."

"What the fuck, Grian!" Mumbo crouched down in front of Grian, who was now taken aback that Mumbo had sworn. "You need to take care of yourself!"

And he thought, briefly, of sitting under the sun with Stress, listening to her.

"It's not that bad," Grian said quickly, "It's only one day. I forgot."

Mumbo's eyes looked sad, causing a bit of guilt to settle heavily in his stomach.

"Grian, I need to talk to you."

Grian gulped. That was never a good way to start off a conversation.

"Okay," he said unsteadily, rising to move to another corner of the room away from the farm, expecting Mumbo to follow.

"No... let's go back up to my base, okay?"

His anxiety worsened. The terrifying thought briefly crossed his mind that maybe Mumbo had decided not to help him anymore, but he pushed it aside, following his neighbor upwards.

Mumbo had brought him to one of the artificial biomes of his base, which, frankly, looked wonderful. He motioned for Grian to sit next to him under a nearby tree, who looked around in wonder before complying.

"Did you make this?" Grian asked, clearly awe-struck by the man-made forest around them.

"Sort of? I more-so laid the groundwork, Scar actually terraformed the biomes for me."

"Scar? He's that cowboy dude, right?"

Mumbo laughed lightly, looking over at Grian, who simply stared ahead into the forest.

"He's really amazing at building. Kinda reminds me of you."

"Hm?" Grian looked up at him.

"I mean, come on, I've seen your base. Even if the so-called 'storage' is absolutely horrendous and morally unforgivable, you're an incredible builder. And I'm not the only one who's seen it. We're all kind of in awe of it, honestly."

Grian was staring at his lap now, fidgeting. "Oh."

"Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something."

The feeling returned, solidifying it's place in Grian's stomach once more. He spoke quietly, almost inaudibly.

"Go on."

"This portal... you're hoping to go back, aren't you? Back to one of your old worlds?"

Grian started, whipping his head up in surprise. That wasn't what he'd expected.

"I..."

Mumbo's voice grew quieter, sounding a little hurt. "You are, aren't you?"

"Why does it matter?" Grian managed weakly. Wind blew through the branches of the trees, shaking them slightly and brushing through the leaves. This could've been nice.

"Because I- I care about you, Grian, honest. I don't know you as well as I'd like to, but I care for you, and I want the best for you."

Grian was staring directly into his eyes now, shell-shocked. He was frozen in place. "You-"

"No, please let me finish," Mumbo said gently. "I've been pretty sure about your intentions for a while now. It's the only thing that makes logical sense about this. And I understand why you'd want to."

He took a deep breath. "I do want to know that you don't have to leave. You can stay here with us. We've already accepted you into the group, and.. the others would love you if you'd let them."

Grian felt his vision go blurry, willing himself not to cry.

"But I'm not going to stop you, or anything. I understand. But no matter the decision you make... you need a break. You're working yourself to death, Grian. And because I care for you, I'm going to ask you a favor."

Grian simply blinked rapidly at him in response, trying not to cry. Mumbo took that as a sign to continue.

"Take a break, Grian. Get to know us, even if only for a day. Go see other hermits. Listen to them, and they'll listen to you. I promise. Take care of yourself. You need to step away from this project for a little."

Grian took in a deep breath, turning away from Mumbo and covering his face with his hands. He sat there like that for a moment or so, silent except for an occasional sniffle.

He eventually succeeded in attempting not to cry, his vision clearing up as he breathed slowly.

He pulled his hands away from his face, feeling horribly awkward.

"Only for a day, you said, right?"

"Just to see how it goes." Mumbo agreed softly, placing his hand softly on Grian's shoulder, who leaned into the touch.

"Mumbo?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss this."

"What do you mean...?"

Grian's success from earlier was suddenly fruitless, as tears returned to his eyes.

"I miss being close with someone. I miss talking. I miss touching, hugging, feeling warm." His voice cracked. "I- I miss everything. I miss people."

Tears were streaming down his face now, and he tried desperately to rub them away.

Mumbo had moved to kneel in front of him now, eyes seemingly watering too, his face contorted in surprised worry.

"I... is there anything I can do?"

"Can- can I have a hug?" Grian's voice was almost unintelligible, being wracked with sobs, but he understood.

Mumbo was confused, afraid to upset him further. "I thought you hated hugs?"

Grian was shaking his head, hands rubbing away at his tear-stained face. His shoulders shook.

"No," he whispered, and that was all Mumbo needed to lean forward to gently draw him into a hug, arms wrapping lightly around his friend, as if afraid he would break.

Grian didn't hug back, simply let himself be engulfed in warmth, let himself feel safe. And for the first time, he broke. He let himself cry into Mumbo's shoulder, mumbles of "I'm sorry" working their way out, while Mumbo quieted him with gentle reassurances.

"It's going to be okay," was a common phrase that had kept appearing, "Everything will be alright, I promise. I know. I know. I'm here. It's okay."

He let it soothe him, and as he calmed down, he wrapped his arms tightly around his companion, before letting go a minute later.

When Mumbo pulled back, Grian had no idea how much time had passed.

"I'm.. so sorry about that. I didn't mean to dump all that on you."

"Oh, no, Grian, no." Mumbo said softly. "You don't mean that."

"No, I am, I'm sorry you had to deal with that." He said guiltily, pulling at the edge of his sleeve.

"No, Grian, don't apologize." Mumbo placed his hand on his new friend's shoulder once again to stabilize him. "That'll only make us feel awful. Don't say 'sorry' when you mean 'thank you'."

Grian paused. "Oh," he said softly.

Rethinking, he looked up at Mumbo. "Thank you for listening to me, and comforting me. I really appreciate it... it means a lot."

Instead of the sad look he had before, Mumbo smiled gently, causing Grian to smile back instinctively. "Of course. You're my friend. It was no problem."

"That.. that feels better, actually." Grian laughed softly. "A lot better."

"For me, too," Mumbo said, and he rose, offering Grian a hand.

Grian hesitated before taking it, letting himself be hoisted up quicker than he was prepared for.

"Holy shit," he laughed, letting go. "You're way stronger than I thought you'd be."

"Oh?" Mumbo joked, cocking an eyebrow playfully. "You thought I was weak just cause I do mechanical stuff? You wanna test that theory?"

Grian brushed the dirt of his pants, smiling. "Try me. I'm not afraid of somebody who looks like they could be snapped in half."

Mumbo crossed his arms, straightening his posture and putting on a ridiculous "holier than thou" persona. "Big talk from such a little thing."

"That's it!"

Mumbo received a playful punch in the gut and doubled over, feigning pain. "Oh, you've got me! The rebellion ends here! I bow to your lordship!"

Grian laughed harder, shoving his friend's shoulder. "Shut up already!"

Mumbo rose again, chuckling. "It's true. I could probably flick you across the room."

"Watch it!" Grian shouted, laughter spilling from his system as he attempted to shove Mumbo again, who quickly dodged, laughing as well.

When he received a shove in return, he gasped in mock offense, placing his hand over his chest. "These rebel scum have no limit! Do you know who I am? Do you know what I am capable of?"

"Oh, dearie me, my lord, my sincerest apologies, what _are_ you capable of?"

"This!"

A firework suddenly exploded in Mumbo's face, obstructing his vision and making his head spin. "Hey!"

When he could see again, blinking rapidly, Grian had started running away, turning his head back around to stick his tongue out as he ran.

Mumbo couldn't help it, and started laughing hysterically, instantly giving chase. "Come back here! Grian!"

Grian couldn’t help but laugh freely, heart warm and full as he weaved through the trees expertly. If there was one thing he was, it was agile.

He stopped running to wait for Mumbo to catch up to him, and just as he got near, reaching to grab Grian's sleeve, he pulled a firework and shot through the gap in the trees, laughing again.

He curled in on himself midair, clutching his stomach as he cracked up. He laughed harder at the sight of Mumbo on the ground, elytra equipped, trying and failing to take off.

When Mumbo was finally in the air with him, he didn't hesitate to laugh right in his face. "Seemed to be having a bit of trouble down there. The rebellion is done for if you're the leader of the airforce!"

Mumbo rushed forward to shove Grian midair, who dodged and instead pushed Mumbo, who lost his balance for a moment, nearly turning upside down.

At this point, both their stomachs hurt from laughing, and their cheeks from smiling.

Grian realized, grinning at his friend, that he hadn't laughed like this since Evo.

That he hadn't let himself.

He also realized Mumbo was falling with a yelp due to his elytra incompetency.

When the next morning came around and Grian awoke in his base, the first thing he did was check the com.

This was odd for him, but yesterday night on the treetops after things calmed down, Mumbo had informed him that the majority of the Hermits were gathering together in the shopping district to hang out and reconnect with eachother, as they apparently did monthly.

[28 new messages in Public Chatroom]

Xisumavoid > hey everyone! you guys good with meeting around noon?

Cubfan135 > should work for me

Mumbo > sure thing!

Joehillstsd > im gonna be about an hour late, sorry :(

Zombiecleo > me too

Falsesymmetry > oh god what are you guys planning. oh god oh fuck

Zombiecleo > how dare you even insinuate that we would cause trouble, Falsey! unbelievable.

Grian smiled lightly. He was nervous, but a little excited to really meet these people.

Stressmonster101 > noon works for me!

Grian's smile grew with that. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was looking forward to seeing Stress again. She'd been the closest to being his friend besides Mumbo.

Goodtimeswithscar > I have a lotta work to do but I shouldn't be too late!!

Goodtimeswithscar > p.s. jellie rubbed her head against my com as I typed that

Goodtimeswithscar >I think she's saying hi :>

Stressmonster101 > AWWWW HI JELLIE

Tango Tek > impulse isn't gonna be able to make it, he's sick :(

Xisumavoid > aw, man! tell him I hope he feels better soon!

Biffa2001 > guys I'm at docs place we might be a little late

Xisumavoid > everything alright?

Docm77 > yeah, Biffa's kind of an idiot and decided to go for a dip again

Docm77 > im repairing him. might be a little past noon but we'll make it.

Grian was confused at this. _Repairing?_

_Oh_. He suddenly remembered Biffa, who'd stopped by to introduce himself months ago, and had been nearly completely mechanical, which spooked him a little bit.

Zombiecleo > oh my god again

Falsesymmetry > Jesus christ

Biffa2001 > I DIDNT 'GO FOR A DIP'

Biffa2001 > I FELL IN WHILE BOATING OK IT WAS AN ACCIDENT

Docm77 > and now I have to deal with it, as always

Biffa2001 > you're the only other part-mech guy I can come to :(

Iskall85 > excuse me

Biffa2001 > DONT BE DRAMATIC YOU ONLY HAVE ONE EYE REPLACED

Iskall85 > so I cant be apart of the cyborgs club :(?

Docm77 > bIFfa shut up and hold still!!

Grian felt his blood go a little cold, realizing who Iskall was, and remembering his interactions with him. Willing himself to be brave, he took a break from reading through the public chat, and opened his conversation with Stress, but not before deciding to set her contact.

[Private message with Stress]

Grian > hey

Stress > omg hi!! what's up??

Grian > hermits are meeting up today, right? is that for everyone?

Stress > if you're asking about yourself, you're more than welcome!!

Stress > we've been hoping you would come one time :0!

Grian > ahaha, can you do me a favor?

Stress > depends, what's up?

Grian > could you let the public chat know I'm coming? I don't wanna say it myself..

Stress > YAY!!! sure thing, buddy!

He pocketed his com, only to take it back out immediately as it blew up with messages.

[12 new messages in Public Chatroom]

Iskall85 > come on. I am an Honory Cyborg you guys

Tango Tek > sure bud

Stress > hey guys, Grian's coming to this one!

Xisumavoid > oh, that's great!

Iskall85 > wait, really?

Docm77 > oh wow

Mumbo > awesome!

Zombiecleo > omg perfect because this is gonna be the best one

Joehillstsd > perfect timing Grian

Falsesymmetry > seriously what the FUCK are you two planning I'm AFRAID

Zombiecleo > hmmmm

Falsesymmetry > that's it I'm coming over

Grian caught himself smiling at the com, which was still an odd thing for him. Silencing it and tucking it away, he started when there was a knock on the outside of his base, a figure standing up at the entrance, waiting for permission.

Confused, he said, "Come on down."

The figure did so, and as they landed on the ground in front of him, he took in the bearded man's face, fear pooling in his gut.

"Hey, man," Iskall said, unsure. "Can I talk to you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, and thank you all for your support on this! If you don’t follow me on tumblr (honeymakeshappy) you should if you want updates while I’m working on chapters, more content for the fic, and for me to answer your questions about it!
> 
> Thanks so much again!!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for death mention (not serious, permanent or descriptive)
> 
> hello! I’ve been feeling pretty down about writing this, but I’m hopeful again, so here’s the next chapter! I really appreciate all your comments & support, they’re what make me want to continue writing!

Grian was backing away from Iskall, slowly, eyeing him fearfully.

"I.. what do you need?"

Iskall was immediately aware that the man was afraid of him. He put his hands up reassuringly, attempting to calm Grian down, who only looked around nervously.

"Hey, man, I just wanted to give you something.” Iskall started nervously, feeling awkward and unsure.

Grian, confused, stared at him.

“Here,” Iskall said, fumbling with his inventory. Something small and red manifested in his hands.

Grian crept closer, hesitantly. “...Rockets?”

“Yeah,” Iskall smiled nervously, holding them out to Grian, “I know you go through them like crazy.”

Grian tentatively reached his hand out, wrapping it around the rockets slowly. He pulled them away, inspected them, then looked back up.

“Thank you...”

Iskall rubbed the back of his neck. “I just wanted to apologize for when I confronted you like that. It wasn’t the right way to go about things.”

“It’s...” Grian shrunk back a little bit. “It’s okay.”

“Ah, well, I guess I’ll get going then!” Iskall said awkwardly, making his way back to the exit. “Just, Grian?”

“Yeah?” Grian tilted his head slightly.

Iskall flew up to the lowest exit, looked back, and smiled. “Proud of you for coming out today.”

And he was gone.

_Huh._

Grian, upon arriving at the shopping district, discovered that it was.. not what he expected.

He hadn't said anything, but Mumbo made them go together anyways, knowing that Grian would be anxious. He grumbled about it, but was secretly thankful. They were actually one of the first few to arrive.

Xisuma was the first to greet them, seated at the stump of the larger wood shop. His helmet was placed casually next him.

"Hey," X smiled warmly, "Glad you could make it."

As if this was perfectly natural for Grian.

He was taking in what had been set up around him- seemingly a cookout, with games scattered here and there, and bench tables to eat at. It wasn't extravagant, like most things in the Hermitcraft server, it was small, and casual, and nice.

The next to greet him with Ren, who Grian hadn't interacted with much yet.

"Hey, man," Ren had clapped him on the arm, swinging the other around to be shook, which Grian took, smiling nervously. "It's good to see you out here. Name's Ren, if you forgot. I'll let you in on a secret, since you're new to this."

Letting go, Grian smiled more easily this time, curiously. "What's that?"

"I'm the coolest one here." Ren pulled his sunglasses down to wink exaggeratedly, succeeding in making Grian laugh.

Ren was just generally an easy guy to be around, whipping out jokes like they were second nature. They probably were. Their conversation was interrupted with a shout.

"GRIAN!" Stress yelled, hands cupped around her mouth as she grinned. He turned to her, grinning wildly as well.

"Hey!" He said, waving his arm at her, nearly being knocked over by the sheer force of her hug.

"I thought you'd never get out of that base!" Pulling back, she punched him in the arm playfully. "You take the 'hermit' title way too seriously!"

Mumbo was now talking business with Cub, a seemingly older, bearded man who was clearly attempting to scam him. Grian really only knew Cub as being a part of Concorp, as he hadn't actually introduced himself yet. Xisuma was typing idly on the com, and Jevin, Ren and Tango, an unlikely combination, were all in a seemingly intense discussion about.... ethical farming? Odd.

Grian was catching up with Stress for the next fifteen minutes or so, both of them lazily sat against the base of the tree. He'd been asking her questions about taking care of Sally when more people started arriving. Some he didn't recognize, others he did.

It was nearly one when everyone had arrived- bar Joe and Cleo, who weren't even answering the com. When people asked False about it, she simply smiled wearily, shook her head, and said, "Just wait."

Most were teasing Biffa when he and Doc arrived, who just grinned at them sheepishly and deflected jabs at his clumsiness with lazy threats. He certainly wasn't helped by Doc, who was complaining to everyone who'd listen about how much Biffa had fucked up his circuitry and what a pain it was to fix.

Stress was now chatting with Iskall, seemingly one of her closest friends. They were cracking up about something, both wheezing to get breaths in, but Grian was still too nervous around Iskall to join them.

Xisuma was making food for everyone, Scar attempting to help, surprisingly.

Grian had actually spoken with Scar, who had turned out to be a really cool guy. He was hoping to get to know him a little better soon.

Finally, Cleo and Joe showed up, at nearly 2 p.m., while the tables were already being set in preparation for the meal. No one had even seen them arrive- they seemingly just appeared out of thin air. Everyone went quiet and turned to them when they did.

"Greetings, all, we have elected to grace the lower with our presence." Joe announced, gestures wide and extravagant. "It was no small feat, to let ourselves be escorted here, as grand rulers cannot be bothered to differentiate those less significant, alas, we start to see the same eyes in everyone."

Cleo followed behind, smiling lazily, hands shoved into her jean pockets, and nodded. "Hey."

Grian, deciding on a whim to play along with them, feigned shock and curiosity.

"Do say, great ones," He began, barely holding back laughter, "What was it that made you decide to grace us all with your presence so selflessly?"

Joe screwed his eyes shut, clutching his chest dramatically. "A realization, my dear boy, hit me like a phantom. In the blindness of my rule, my lenses had been turned backwards."

He whipped off his glasses for dramatic effect and stared at them forlornly. Everyone was watching him now, extremely entertained.

"I realized that even as the eyes of everyone merged together in my mind, so did my own. Though I'd had everything I'd ever wanted, even peace of mind, the lenses were mirrors rather than windows. I have focused only on myself, vain and unable to progress."

"Incredible!" Scar said from the table, grinning. "What made you decide to turn your life around?"

Joe now swooned dramatically onto Cleo's shoulder, who was rolling her eyes fondly.

"If I could only look out into the world and see myself, could I truly progress? Is change possible in a universe where you can't see the effects it will have? Tell me, dear friends, if it's true that eyes are the window to the soul, and through the lenses I made for myself, I can only see into my own, yet cannot do any soul-searching, are my eyes truly my own anymore? No, and for this I must turn my lenses around, to be windows, not mirrors, so that only in the reflection of the eyes of others as they pass the storefront may I see myself and into my own soul. Progress can only be made if the focus is outward."

Cleo shrugged. "We were making stuff explode."

Joe's entire spiel was silly, and entirely on a whim, but the other hermits were clapping and smiling, many of them laughing, having thoroughly enjoyed it. Joe rose and took a bow, causing more giggles to erupt amongst the hermits.

Grian found himself seriously enjoying his time. After Joe and Cleo had integrated themselves into the conversations and activities, they'd all eaten together at a time too late to be lunch, too early to be dinner.

Afterwards, Grian had somehow got himself into an elytra race, going up against the other hermits in a tournament-like style.

The first he had gone up against was Scar, who he beat easily, Scar congratulating him and joking around after, which was nice.

Mumbo was also one of the very first to lose, to Iskall, who joined in on Grian teasing him mercilessly about his terrible flying.

When it was the next round, Grian actually went up against Iskall, who he once again, beat.

Mumbo was seated on the bench when others were competing, grinning smugly.

"Oh I'm the terrible flier, huh? What was that?"

Grian stepped forward from Iskall and punched him lightly in the arm.

"Still you," he laughed, "At least Iskall put up a fight. You nearly fell out of the sky."

Iskall was grinning too, now. "Nearly? Grian, did you check the com?"

Briefly confused, Grian pulled out the com, noticing a new death message.

[Server Announcements]

Mumbo hit the ground too hard.

Iskall, reading over his shoulder, burst out laughing. He thought he heard him teasing Mumbo again, but the sound drowned out.

A hand landed on his shoulder.

"Grian?" Iskall's voice was kinder than he'd ever heard yet. "Everything ok?"

Grian, snapping out of it, looked up at Mumbo.

"You're okay, though, right?"

Mumbo looked confused. "Uh, yeah? It didn't hurt much for long since it was an instant one. And all of us set our spawn points before we started, remember?"

Iskall's hand squeezed his shoulder lightly before retracting it. "Relax, not as if it's a perma-death."

Iskall chuckled, and Grian laughed nervously in response.

"Of course not," he managed, "There's no reason it would be."

He was still wary of Iskall, but the guy didn't turn out to be too bad, even cheering him on when his name was called again for the next round.

Grian was having _fun._

As the rounds grew more intense, so did the elytra course. The people who'd already lost dictated the paths that the fliers would take when racing, which just grew increasingly difficult. Grian had hit into one once with his shoulder, but the pain was bearable and he still won easily.

Finally, in the final round, he was up against Falsesymmetry, a girl with blonde hair mussed up around large goggles. Pulling them down to cover her eyes and smiling at him, she held out a hand.

"Don't believe we've introduced. Queen of heads, hearts, and body parts."

Grian shakily reached for her hand and gulped, thinking briefly about where she might've gotten that nickname. He shook the immediate intimidation out of his head, preparing for the moment the firework would go off.

A loud crack was heard in the sky, and he pushed off his feet and pulled his first firework, seeing False do the same in his peripheral.

Grian's strategy was simple: spam rockets, and hope for the best.

Now, for others, this may have been a terrible strategy, making it incredibly easy to get caught on things, but Grian had had his fair share of bumping into things when he'd first arrived, and had quickly gotten sick of it.

He'd opted to use his elytra constantly in order to be able to fly through any situation with no problems, and it had paid off. He'd gone from one of the server's worst fliers to possibly the best.

He made a risky, clean cut to save space, putting him a bit ahead of False as he weaved through buildings and structures. He nearly slammed head-first into one of them, but quickly swerved and narrowly missed it, feeling the brick brush against the fabric of his shirt.

He had a good head-start on False now, which he kept up until having to stop for only a second to avoid slamming into something, which gave her enough time to close in on him. She was still behind him, but close enough to possibly win, so just as they came around the bend back to the beginning, he did something on impulse.

Instead of slowing to land lightly on the platform, he positioned himself going straight down, using rockets to accelerate his head-first plummet. He heard people gasping and yelling at him to stop, but in the spur of the moment, he ignored them, completely free of any fear he'd otherwise have.

Just as he was about to crash, he pulled up, and he could've sworn his stomach grazed the pavement. Cheers were heard as he stumbled forward onto his feet, a bit clumsily, but avoiding falling.

Everyone was yelling for him, someone clapping him on the back. He reached out to hold onto them, head spinning, black spots appearing briefly.

When his head cleared after a few moments, he grinned up at X, who he'd apparently been using as a support beam. Xisuma grinned back, though, patting his back a couple times in congratulation.

A sharp pain in his shoulder. Someone had punched him. _Ow_.

He turned to Cleo, who was smiling disbelievingly. "That was amazing! But watch out for Falsey over there."

Fear creeping into him, he turned around slowly, said woman approaching him, face deathly serious.

As she got closer, hair flowing around her wildly, she stopped abruptly.

Grian gulped.

And suddenly, she beamed, reaching out and drawing him in for a tight hug.

"Good game. You did incredible."

Everyone erupted into cheers again. He grinned into her hair and hugged back tightly, pulling away when she loosened her grip.

"Now," she said confidently, drawing back, "Who wants me to kick their ass at PVP?"

Grian, along with the half of the hermits who had a more promenant self-preservation instinct, had decided to sit out on the PVP tournament and talk amongst themselves once more.

And there came a time where he was alone, when the sun was just beginning to set, and he was sat on the grass, watching the tournament from a distance.

He watched every time a sword would pierce someone, every time the last arrow was lodged, every time someone slumped to the floor before vanishing.

And every time, he would look down at the com clutched so tightly in his hands that his knuckles were white, watching yellow text appear, signaling a death message. He couldn't help but be terrified when one participant opted to use an iron sword instead of a diamond, turning his head away and screwing his eyes shut in horror.

He opened them a moment later to stare at the grass. He could never quite get over how similar iron swords looked to knives. He'd be lying if he said it didn't bother him to see them used, no matter how much time had passed.

He heard someone sit down next to him. Looking over, Iskall smiled gently.

"Hey, man," Iskall said, "Watching the PVP?"

Turning away, Grian shrugged. "I guess so."

Iskall stared ahead, watching the clash of swords and skin.

"It bothers you, doesn't it? I can tell you're worried."

"A little bit." Grian's shoulders tensed up more, and he drew his head in.

Iskall looked back at him. "About perma-deaths?"

Grian turned to the larger man, eyes large and sad.

Iskall placed a hand on his back, firm and strong, but gently.

“Grian, have you witnessed one..?"

Grian chuckled a bit, but there was no humor. He listened to the distant sounds of metal clashing coupled with the closer noise of friendly chatter and laughter. The background noise, though wildly dissimilar, worked together well.

"I wish it was just that."

Iskall's eye was still soft, but his eyebrow was knitted in confusion. He waited.

Grian hugged himself, squeezing the soft fabric of his sweater. "I experienced it firsthand."

Iskall's eye went wide with shock, and Grian turned away, smiling sadly.

"I'm so sorry, dude..." Iskall said, trailing off.

"Don't be. I didn't want to be in that world for any longer than I was anyways." Grian was watching the fights again, eyes transfixed on the apparent loser, who fell to the ground abruptly when an arrow impaled their shoulder. Grian winced.

"There's not really much I can say to help with that, bud." Iskall said gently. "But, hey, I want you to look closely at them. Watch them. Their faces."

Grian did. He noticed the one who'd fallen last was Jevin, who'd quickly respawned, sitting up and laughing heartily. Cleo, who'd been the one to finish him, smiled down and held out a hand, hoisting him up with ease. They said something to eachother, smiling.

When Cleo re-entered the arena, her newer opponent was Doc, likely the most intimidating hermit. He held his trident out, the tip greeting her outstretched sword, and they stood still as the countdown began. When it ended, they rushed at eachother, swords clashing. Cleo grinned as she made an impressive advancement and Doc laughed good-naturedly.

The gravelly, soft voice spoke again from beside him. "I don't know what happened to you, wherever you were, Grian."

Grian looked back at his companion. Iskall's eye and smile were kind in nature, he noticed.

"But I can bet it wasn't like this."

The com buzzed. Grian looked down.

[Server Announcements]

Docm77 was slain by Zombiecleo.

He looked back up at Iskall. The sun was setting, turning the sky all shades of orange and pink. The energy of the background noise was, somehow, a lovely compliment to it.

He smiled.

The sun was down, now, and the PVP tournament was finished, False being unsurprisingly, the winner. It was a close victory, the final opponent being Biffa, who’d sworn he would’ve won if Doc had done better fixing his circuitry. Doc protested, offended, pinning it up to Biffa’s incompetency. False simply laughed at them both.

Scar and Cub were handing out baked goods that Scar had made in excess, to everyone's delight. But the most excited for nightfall were Joe and Cleo, who were nearly vibrating with excitement, grinning at each other and high-fiving every 5 seconds.

Cleo stood up, loudly announcing, "Alright, everyone, are you ready to see the fruits of our labor?"

The hermits looked at eachother, confused.

"I thought you guys were just messing around and like.. blowing stuff up." Tango piped up.

"We were," Joe intercepted, "As a test. And then we were here. Setting stuff up to... later be blown up."

"What?!" X said loudly, alarmed. Everyone else had similar reactions.

"Joking, joking," Cleo trailed off, look to the side and narrowing her eyes, half-whispering, "Sort of?"

Ignoring the noises of alarm that started again, she walked away and turned the corner, Joe giving her a thumbs up as she left. He turned back to the crowd and clapped his hands together.

“Alright, everyone! I need you all to lay down flat on the grass. Can you do that?”

After a moment, a few started to lie down on the hill, eventually joined by others. Grian was joined by Stress on one side, and Joe on the other, who propped himself up on his elbows, staring at the sky.

He looked down at Grian, who had his hands tucked under his head.

“I’m glad to see you out here. This meetup is going to be something special.”

Grian looked up, surprised, then laughed softly. “I’m a little worried, but... excited.”

Joe pushed his shoulder gently, smiling. “Just be excited, then.”

Cleo appeared a moment later, yelling that it was starting, throwing herself down on the grass next to Joe, who beamed and turned to the sky.

A loud crack resonated through the sky. The sound reverberated through Grian, his heart pounding in his chest.

_Fireworks._

They were normal, at first, colorful and pretty, but then one formed the image of Doc’s face.

Doc yelled in surprise, laughing and grinning as his friends hit his arms and pointed, laughing too.

Ren’s face appeared next.

Everyone looked back at Joe and Cleo, who were both grinning at them, then eachother. Another crack, and Cleo pointed upwards, signaling to watch the sky.

The hermits’ faces appeared one by one. Each one bore at least some semblance to its owner, an extremely impressive feat that entertained and amazed them all.

When X’s face appeared, there were two of him, one looking slightly different than the other. Heads turned to him. He simply smiled at the sky sadly.

The last face to appear was Grian’s, this time, a word above his smiling face.

‘ _Welcome!_ ’

His breath hitched, watching it until it faded away completely. He turned to Joe and Cleo in wonder, full of emotion, and received two genuine smiles in return. He felt his eyes and nose crinkle up with joy, silently thanking them. Another crack.

He turned back, and the words ‘ _To Season 6_ ’ filled the sky, followed by regular fireworks in the background. The sparks rained down, disintegrating.

The hermits erupted in cheers, some moving to envelop Cleo and Joe in hugs, who gladly accepted the words of thanks with joyful laughs and smiles.

Grian looked over at Stress, who was grinning at him, and he returned the smile instantly.

“Hey,” she said, “we’re happy to have you as our friend.”

_Our friend_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you again for the support, I appreciate it so so much. follow me on tumblr (@honeymakeshappy) for more content, updates, and to ask me your questions!


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grian and Stress hang out, and he meets up with Xisuma to ask a favor, learning some things in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is best read with lofi music of your choice playing in the background

The clock read 5:32 PM.

He stared at it. The dots between the numbers flashed on and off.

His eyes were half-lidded, his mind willing his body to sleep, which vehemently refused.

Grian turned over, finally, electing to stare at the wall instead, which had no blinking dots, a new, exciting feature.

The light that filled his base was warm and welcoming as the sun set outside. He could just barely see the orange and pink hues from his bed.

Nothing had happened all day long. He should be used to receiving no visits by now, as he went months with them being scarce, but it still felt odd, since he'd spent so much time around the other hermits lately.

And since nothing happened, he didn't do anything either. He _did_ feed Sally and let her walk around the base, because he _was_ a responsible pet owner, but he hadn't even felt like playing with her.

Grian wasn't upset or anything, just demotivated. He wanted to work, or meet up with someone, but he didn't feel like doing anything but letting the day happen.

And it did. The sun rose, and now it would set, and people probably accomplished things, but he wouldn't know.

Despite the fact that he knew he was being lazy, and that this wasn't good use of his time, he pulled the comforter over his nose and smiled, closing his eyes. It was kind of nice to have all this time to yourself in which you could do absolutely nothing and no one would care or expect you to, and this time, he didn't have to stay up until four in the morning to experience that feeling. It was relaxing, if nothing else.

His pillow buzzed. He groaned softly, reluctantly opening his eyes. He hadn't gotten a message on the com all day and had completely forgotten about it.

Shifting and pulling it out from under the pillow, he held it close to his eyes, squinting at the sudden brightness. Once his eyes adjusted, he opened the notification.

[1 New Private Message from Stress]

Stress > hey!!

_Was that all?_ Grian blinked, putting the com face down next to him. He rationalized that it wasn't important, and he could respond in a bit.

Letting his eyes fall shut again, he relaxed into the bed, eyes shooting open when the com buzzed from under his hand.

He groaned again, frustrated that his nothingness was being interrupted.

[2 new Private Messages from Stress]

Stress > it's been a second since we've hung out!!

Stress > none of us heard from you today, wanna come over?

The frustration left Grian, guilt replacing it. His eyes softened as he typed out a response, hesitating before sending it.

Grian > not really, I don't really feel like doing much, sorry

He waited. Two new messages lit up the screen.

Stress > no worries!!! how about I come over there?

Stress > we don't have to do anything or even talk. I can just hang out there and do my own thing!

A smile slowly appeared of Grian's face. The suggestion was honestly ideal for how he felt at the moment.

Grian > actually yeah, come whenever

Stress > YAY!! I won't be long!

Putting the com back down, Grian sighed happily, burying his face into the comforter again.

It was 6:37 when Stress arrived. Grian knew this, because he was watching the clock again the whole time he waited. He offered to set up a bed for her to sit on, but she refused, claiming that she preferred the floor. He looked at her funny, and she simply smiled back at him, and he grew a little grateful that he didn't have to get up.

She was laying down on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, drawing something on the paper she'd brought in sparkly blue pen. She was facing away from him, so he couldn't see what she was drawing, and curiosity eventually got the best of him.

Stretching out his arms and back, Grian brought himself to a sitting position.

"What're you drawing?" He asked, moving his head to try to see over her shoulders.

Stress brought herself up to her knees and smiled back at him, holding her drawing up to her chest so he couldn't see.

"Well, I was trying to draw some plans for my castle," her smile turned sheepish, "But what came out was a polar bear."

"What?!" Grian laughed lightly, "how does that even _happen_?!"

Stress stuck out her tongue childishly. "It was an accident, okay!"

Grian started cracking up, finding this hilarious in his delirious state.

"How do- how do you- you draw a-" Grian was wheezing between breaths, struggling to get the words out, "Polar- polar bear on ACCIDENT?!"

Stress reached up to shove his arm, playfully angry. "It's not even that funny!!"

Wiping at his face, Grian grinned down at her before lowering himself from the bed down to the floor to sit next to her.

He picked up her drawing, taking it in. It wasn't good, but it was simple and cute, and certainly less terrifying than anything Grian would've made.

"Can I add something?" She tilted her head in confusion, but nodded. He laid his head flat under the ground to get something from underneath his bed.

"Do you draw?"

Grian pulled out a bin filled with utensils, pencils, pens, markers, crayons. Nothing fancy or professional, but a wide variety of types and colors.

"I'm not any good at it, if that's what you're asking," he said, rummaging through the bin, "but I used to do it with my friend all the time. For the record, he also can't draw."

Stress smiled softly, aware she was treading on eggshells. "What'd you guys draw?" She asked carefully.

He pulled out a pink pen, grinning triumphantly and uncapping it. "Monstrosities, honestly. It was fun, though, that's why we did it."

"I used to do this all the time," he chuckled to himself, leaning over the paper.

He rose just a second later, two pink blush marks on the polar bear's cheeks.

He smiled up at her. "Blush trick. Always boosted my chance of winning our competitions. Increases cuteness by thirty percent. Bit of a dirty trick."

She looked down at it, and pressed her hands to her cheeks. "Awwww!!!"

She was tapping her cheeks rapidly now, smiling up at him. "That's so cute!!"

Grian nodded proudly, "I know."

"Polar bears can't blush, though."

"Shut up."

"Have you ever been face to face with one?"

Stress nodded vigorously, eyes growing wide. "They're terrifying! I know they seem cute, but when one looks you in the eye and starts moving towards you?"

She laughed good-naturedly. "It really makes your tummy go!"

_**She laughed good-naturedly. ‘It really makes your tummy go!’** _

Grian's smile fell from his face at that, searching her eyes for something that wasn't there.

When he realized he wouldn't find it, he screwed his eyes shut, laughing sadly.

A hand on his shoulder. Was that the standard procedure for comfort around here?

"Grian, are you okay..?"

When his eyes opened again, they were soft and sad, longing for another time. "You sound so much like her sometimes."

Her face scrunched up in sympathetic confusion.

"Who?"

The night fell around them. The moon's light enveloped them now in her gentle embrace, watching over them with a loving gaze. It grew darker, but still welcoming and homely.

"A friend," he said quietly, smiling at her. "A friend that isn't here."

Her hand fell slightly, drawing away from his arm.

"Netty," He said, "That was her name. She always used to say what you said."

"I remind you of your friend?"

Their voices grew more hushed with each passing sentence, as if afraid the stars would hear them and gossip. Perhaps they would.

"Yeah," Grian said, and pulled her arms around him, enveloping her in a brief hug, "You did. But now you are one."

She gave him a tight squeeze before pulling away and smiling at him.

And they continued to talk all through the night, just two people, two hermits, being friends on a cool autumn night.

When morning came, Grian was helping Stress gather her things, bidding her goodbye and promising to meet again soon. He was still smiling when she left.

What had started as tentative company turned into a sleepover, the two just hanging out, talking, drawing, messing around, and even properly chicken-proofing his base so Sally could wander freely.

He'd made the decision to see Xisuma that day to ask about the bedrock. He was nervous, but he remembered his motivations and pressed onwards.

A small cluck sounded behind him.

He turned around, smiling down at Sally, who was looking at him with interest. One thing he'd learned about chickens was that they could and would follow you around. He knelt down to stroke her head softly.

"Hey, girl," he said, petting her lovingly, "I have to go, but I'll be back home soon, promise."

Rising up reluctantly, he kicked off, wings spreading out behind him as he pulled on the string of a firework. The initial acceleration was always exhilarating. He'd come to love being in the air.

Xisuma had told him where to find his base, so when he arrived, the man was already waiting for him in the center.

He noticed, as he approached, that X had his helmet secured on his face.

“Hey, man,” Grian greeted, “Why do you have your helmet on?”

Grian could see X’s eyes crinkle up through the visor, so he was probably smiling.

“Eh. I just don’t like the air here sometimes?” He laughed, the sound echoing inside the helmet. “Sorry if that makes no sense.”

“No, it- it kinda does, actually.”

X looked down at the hands Grian was gesturing with. He raised an eyebrow, chuckling. “Nice nail polish.”

Grian blinked, looking down at his hands. The realization dawned on him, and he dropped his head, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

“Stress came over last night, and we painted eachother’s nails...”

“I see.” Xisuma shoved him playfully, “Brown’s a good color for you.”

Grian couldn’t help but laugh, finally easing up.

“Anyways, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Grian’s brow furrowed. There was a low buzzing sound coming from the walls around him.

“I- I, uh, I’m working on something.” Grian began, trying to ignore the sound.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he couldn’t ignore it. It felt like it was buzzing in his skull. “And, uh, ugh, sorry, but what is that noise?”

X’s voice was confused and muffled. “What noise?”

Grian shifted from foot to foot, growing irritated. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to blow up on the guy.

“The buzzing,” he snapped, coming off harsher than he meant to, “What’s it coming from?”

“Oh,” Xisuma’s eyes appeared puzzled, and he started scratching at his helmet with his hand lightly, “I can’t hear it, but I think it’s one of the farms I’m running, want me to go turn it off?”

Grian nodded, exhaling angrily, trying to be polite. “Please.”

He started to develop a headache while he waited for Xisuma to return. He crouched down, to sit on the balls of his feet, rapping his fingers against the hard ground. He was just so frustrated, resisting the urge to pull his hair out.

X returned quickly, greeting him kindly and squatting down in front of him.

“Took care of it,” he said, clapping Grian’s arm, who quickly shrugged it away, annoyed. “So what’re you working on again?”

“It’s...” Grian stopped, pushing his fingers through his hair and into his scalp. “Are you sure you turned it off? I feel like I still hear it.”

When he looked back at Xisuma’s face, his eyes seemed to have cleared in understanding, standing up and motioning for Grian to follow. He did, pulling his sweater down uneasily.

“Would you mind if we went somewhere else?” X asked quietly.

Grian’s eyes widened. “Not at all.”

Slightly relieved to be out of that base, he followed Xisuma through the air, gliding alongside him. He began to feel a little guilty for being so annoyed with him when he’d done nothing wrong, but he kept on, not stopping until X did.

X had led him to the entrance to the closest stronghold, leading him down the stairs and into the portal room. Odd.

They ended up on an End island, seated near the edge of the precipice.

Grian noticed that Xisuma had finally removed his helmet, setting it on the endstone beside them.

X looked over at him and smiled. Something about him made him feel like an old friend, kind and easy, slow and familiar. His brown hair was mussed up from removing the helmet, making him look a little silly.

The cool air blew around them, the only noise in the calm quiet of the End. The world around them was dark and unmoving. Comforting.

Grian opened his mouth to apologize, but closed it, seeming to remember something.

“This is better,” he began, surprised when X made a noise of agreement.

“It is. The air feels too heavy in the Overworld sometimes, and especially in the Nether.” The admin smiled at the void, as if greeting a friend. “I like it better here. Cool and light. Feels like I can finally breathe.”

Grian started, looking up at the admin, “Thank you for, like, understanding earlier, and for taking me here. Sorry if I was rude at all.”

“And- and I actually kinda get what you’re saying. Once in a while I feel like the air gets too heavy, too.”

“You weren’t rude, don’t worry. I could tell that sound was bothering you a lot.”

“It was!” Grian’s hands balled into fists, “But I don’t know why! I was getting so angry for no reason!”

“I know,” Xisuma said, and Grian looked up at him curiously, “And it wasn’t for no reason.”

He pushed lightly into Grian’s arm, knocking him sideways a little, more comforting than playful. “Sensory issues.”

“What...?”

“That’s what I’m assuming, anyways. I have ‘em too, mostly with touch, though.”

“That’s... a thing? I wanted to like, scream, or break something. Does that... happen?” Grian was incredibly intrigued now.

Xisuma moved his legs to dangle them over the side, right over the void. “Yeah, actually, it’s pretty normal, plenty of people have them, even thought most people don’t. Is this the first time this has happened for you?”

Grian joined him at the edge, letting his legs dangle over tentatively. “Not at all! I had no idea it was an actual thing. What’s it like for touch?”

An arm was thrown lazily around him, tight and secure. It felt nice. “A lot of things bother me. I wear my helmet to deal with the air, but what bothers me most is certain kinds of fabric. It’s why I never wear jeans, actually.”

Grian rested his head on his new friend’s shoulder, listening interestedly.

“It makes me feel like I touched something incredibly wrong and I have to get it off of me, or I’ll like, die or something.” Xisuma laughed, but Grian quickly interjected.

“I feel like that too! But it’s more like, if there are a bunch of sounds or a particularly bad one and it’s bothering me, it’s like, ‘I need to get out of here right now or I’ll die.’”

Xisuma was smiling. “It sounds silly, doesn’t it? But it’s how it feels.”

Grian nodded, then buried his head further into X’s shoulder. He was amazed at how quickly and easily he’d made a friend.

“That’s a part of why I come here so often.” X’s voice was quiet now, solemn but grateful. “It’s perfect. The ground is hard and firm, the noise is pretty much non-existent, the light is dim, and the air is cool and light. I spend a lot of time here for many reasons, but that’s one of them.”

“Thank you,” Grian said honestly. “Thank you for taking me here.”

“Of course,” Xisuma mumbled, and they stayed like that for a bit, enjoying the environment.

Eventually, Grian spoke up again.

“I’m working on something from my old world. To my knowledge, the only way to get it to work is using bedrock to frame it.”

Xisuma listened patiently, not saying anything, but his mind was racing.

“It should be harmless and should only affect me, but... the bedrock is obviously a problem, and I know for a fact...”

“That I can get some using the ‘/give’ command. But I have no power over the world this time, and I was told you’re the admin, so...”

Xisuma stayed quiet, so Grian started up again hastily. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s really, really important to me.”

“I...” X sounded conflicted. “Grian, I hope you can understand why I can’t say yes right now. But I promise you that I’ll think about it and get back to you as soon as possible.”

Grian’s heart hurt a little, but he understood, and still had hope. “Thank you.”

He stared out into the void. They fell into silence again, then opting to talk about other things, friendly and reassuring that things were still okay between them.

Xisuma was interrupted by the buzzing of Grian’s com. He took the circular object out of his pocket, opening the messages from Mumbo.

[Private Message with Mumbo]

Mumbo > hey I did a thing. it’s about the portal

Mumbo > you might wanna come over asap

Grian’s body tensed up as he rose, X’s arm falling from around him. His heart started hammering in his chest as he typed a response and slid the com back into his jeans, turning back to Xisuma.

“I really enjoyed this, and thank you for everything, but I think I have to go now.”

All Grian got was a startled nod and a murmured “no problem” in return, and he couldn’t blame him, but still took off back towards the portal immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Huge shoutout to the two people who made fanart, I cried both times and it inspired me to keep writing so much, and huge thanks to my friends, mutuals, and followers on tumblr for supporting me!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The portal is built, and Grian meets with a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this chapter is so late! I’ve been really busy with school, but I hope to update more frequently. Thank you to everyone who leaves comments and asks, it means so much to me and makes me want to keep writing!

Grian had nearly run out of rockets by the time he arrived, having spammed them hurriedly to get to his friend's base as quickly as possible. He made a mental note to ask Mumbo for some while he was there.

_But I might not need them_ , he realized, adrenaline coursing through his veins as the wind whipped on his face violently. His emotions became suddenly messy, so he focused on flying instead.

When he arrived, he made short work of tearing through the base, down at bedrock in seconds, breathing heavily. Mumbo was there, waiting for him.

"Are you alright?"

The kind voice pierced through his thoughts. Grian's hands were on his knees as he breathed heavily, but he looked up, an unreadable look in his eyes.

An anxious, unsure grin spread on his face.

"'Course. What- what did you do?"

Mumbo gestured wordlessly for Grian to join him in standing at the portal. Taking a few more heavy breaths, Grian rose and moved as instructed, scanning the portal.

His breath fell away from him again.

Obsidian surrounded the portal in a neat, broken rectangle.

The evo symbol.

"Oh my god," he breathed, eyes scanning the portal helplessly, unable to say much else.

He felt a hand on his back, patting it lightly. Grian looked up at his friend, who was smiling slightly, eyes wracked with sadness.

"Who knows if it'll work, but, ah, I went ahead and did this while you took a break. I just felt like... I should have."

Grian blinked away a couple of tears, moving forward hesitantly, and wrapping his arms slowly, carefully, around his friend, as if afraid he would mess up.

Mumbo froze up for a moment, but quickly corrected himself and hugged Grian tightly, mind whirring with thoughts before stopping at....

This is the first time he's initiated a hug here.

When Grian let go, his eyes were damp and sad, but thankful. Mumbo hesitated for a moment before walking to the edge of the portal and sitting on the edge of the steps.

The stone steps.

"Hey, so, you're probably excited, but.. I think it's best to be careful about this. Item check?"

Grian laughed fondly, taking a seat next to Mumbo and pulling up his inventory. It spread from his forefinger to the space around him, displaying his items for both of them to see.

"Weapons, pickaxe, elytra, rockets..." he mumbled, scanning Grian's inventory, eyes narrowed. "Potions?"

Grian rolled his eyes. "D'you really think I'll need them? I don't even make potions!"

"Lucky for you..." Mumbo fiddled for a moment with his own inventory, ending up with glass vials full of bubbling liquid between his fingers.

Grian thanked him nonetheless, holding them up one-by-one to slots in his inventory, watching as they melded into the two-dimensional screen. He was handed a golden apple as well, "just in case", which he tucked away safely in his hotbar.

After Mumbo was satisfied, they closed his inventory, only for Mumbo to still be staring at him hardly.

"What?" Grian laughed it off, but tapped his fingers against his jeans nervously.

"You have your com?"

Grian's mind blanked. "Uh."

His hands automatically slapped his thigh where his pocket was, feeling the familiar circular object inside.

"Yes."

Mumbo started laughing abruptly, breaking the tension in the air easily. Grian started protesting that he just panicked, but he giggled a little bit too.

Grian let out a heavy sigh. He thought about his last interactions with the other hermits.

The majority of them, at the party, watching the fireworks. A moment he'd never forget. He was happy with that.

Iskall, watching the tournament from a distance, sun setting around them, people chattering happily. He was, again, satisfied.

Xisuma. A shaky, abrupt goodbye, but a nice moment, sitting at the edge of the universe together, being the something in nothing. He could live with that.

Stress. A happy and joyful goodbye after a long night, sealed with smiles and hugs. A promise to meet up again soon.

_A promise that might not be fulfilled._

Mumbo...

Sitting here, on the stone steps, backs to the remnants of his old world.

An item check.

Grian sighed, putting his head in his hands.

Suddenly he raised it. There was something he could leave behind.

"Sally," he said abruptly, turning to his friend, who looked concerned.

"I have a chicken," he explained. "She... if this works, could you... could you take care of her, for me?"

For the first time, with a twisting feeling in his stomach, he watched as a couple of tears rolled slowly down his friend's face, who smiled through it painfully.

"Of course. If this.... I'll take good care of her." He said confidently, wiping at his face with his cuff.

Grian, this time, reached out his hand and squeezed Mumbo's shoulder comfortingly, who smiled, drying his face. That seemed to be the way things worked around here, after all.

Grian thought for a moment.

"If this works, I'll try messaging you with the com, and I'll come right back through to let you know if that doesn't work, ok?"

Mumbo, finally relaxing, looked a little relieved. "Okay. Perfect. Ah..."

Mumbo paused. "Are you... like... ready?"

"I..." Grian, to his utter surprise, hesitated. This has been the only thing he's wanted since he came here... why have doubts now? After all this times, after all this work? "I..."

_"I..." Grian hesitated, "I pick Timmy."_

_Solidarity cheered excitedly, making his way over to Grian and high-fiving him. The rest laughed and groaned, muttering that this was 'just like gym class'. Grian laughed, agreeing._

_Netty, beside him, took Salem, who was ecstatic to be chosen so early, taking her place behind the woman._

_Grian laughed, watching the antics of his friends ensue. Why had he hesitated? No one would hold it against him. They were all friends, after all._

"I'm ready," Grian decided immediately.

He walked up the stairs confidently, stopping before the portal. He adjusted his elytra straps nervously, pulling a flint and steel out of his pocket and kneeling.

_Why had he hesitated?_

He held it to the base of the portal as he clicked it on until it lit, a mirage of purple spreading inside the obsidian frame. He stood up, and looked back once at Mumbo, the ridiculously tall man with the ridiculously fancy suit, or perhaps the guy who introduced him, or perhaps his neighbor, or perhaps his friend. Mumbo smiled weakly, eyes growing damp again.

_No one would hold it against him._

He turned away from Mumbo, and gripped the com in his jeans tightly, before stepping forward.

His vision was overcome with purple as he turned around, the image of Mumbo and the working room becoming more and more fogged as his body tingled, becoming a bit nauseas from the motion of the portal.

_They were all friends, after all._

The scene disappeared entirely.

Grian's eyes screwed shut as he felt himself reappear in a different environment, stepping out of the portal, shaking.

He carefully, hopefully opened his eyes, and a dark, red floor greeted him. He faintly heard the cry of a Ghast in the distance.

Grian fell down onto his knees, and instead of weeping, just stared at the floor underneath him.

All he could do in that moment was pull out his com and type 'no' to Mumbo with some difficulty, the device clattering onto the floor as it fell from his hands, which were now shaking heavily.

The sound of the portal activating behind him was heard, and the clop of dress shoes were heard approaching him.

Arms wrapped around him securely, Grian hearing the rustling of fabric as they did so. He just let them. He'd gotten more hugs today than he had any other, but somehow still needed more.

After a while, Mumbo let go, and Grian shivered slightly despite being in the Nether, missing the contact. He looked up questionably to see Mumbo had risen, a tired, relieved look on his face.

"I know you're upset, but we gotta go home now. We just have to wait until we can use bedrock to try again, okay?" Mumbo asked him, clearly exhausted, but voice laced with sympathy.

Grian sniffed and sat for a moment longer before rising, nodding at Mumbo with an empty, tired smile.

"So X hasn't made up his mind yet?"

They'd both returned to the common meeting place of Mumbo's guest room, Grian lying down on the floor, arms crossed on his chest.

Grian sighed. "No."

"Well..." Mumbo thought, taking a seat on the bed, "We can't really do much about that, can we?"

Grian was silent, so Mumbo continued, "We just have to wait a little bit. He's a good guy. He won't take long."

Grian closed his eyes, groaning. "I know he's a good guy, which sucks, because I wanna be mad at him."

His friend chuckled, seeming to think for a while, and a tense silence settled among them.

"So... how are you feeling? Are you, like, okay?" Mumbo finally asked.

"...Yeah, I'm alright," Grian opened his eyes, "Deep down I knew... I knew the obsidian wouldn't work. I guess I'm just... really frustrated."

“Maybe you should go out? Spend some time with some- hey!”

Mumbo suddenly sounded excited, as if proud of himself for thinking of something clever.

“What?” Grian asked curiously.

“You should go see Wels! Just- trust me. You should.”

“Uhhh.”

“Just trust me, okay?” Mumbo pleaded, still seeming pleased with himself. “It’ll be worth it!”

Grian smiled weakly at his friend. “I mean... sure. What do I have to lose?”

It turned out, like most things, to be easier said than done.

Wels’ house was somewhat hidden, buried deep in the forest, and getting there without a guide had proven difficult.

Grian’s frustration, after getting lost several times, was more intense than ever, and he was so agitated by the time he reached a small cottage that he had to stand there for a few minutes to calm down.

He surveyed the property- it wasn’t big, but it was nice. A small, wooden cabin surrounded by trees and plants, berry bushes sprouting from the ground in front of the porch, colorful mushrooms and flowers adorning the grass around him. It was dimly lit by warm, golden lanterns that hung in pairs, illuminating the picture nicely.

Grian noticed a wooden waterwheel was running on the left side of the house in the smallest of ponds, with little purple and red flowers seemingly stuck onto the sides. The sound of the running water was soothing.

Grian smiled. Wels even had to make a waterwheel look pretty, huh?

Still on edge, he stopped admiring the house in favor of actually speaking with the person inside it.

As he made his way up to the door, he mentally facepalmed, realizing he didn’t even know if Wels was home. Still, he knocked twice, and his worries were dispelled when a voice called out that they’d be right there.

He waited impatiently, tugging at his sweater, admiring the decorum around him, how vines sprouting flowers wrapped around the rails of the porch. The guy certainly liked nature, if nothing else.

The door opened after a minute, revealing a man taller than him, suited in a medieval style chest plate, flexible, tough black clothing otherwise. He had shoulder-length, wavy golden hair, some stubble, and a friendly look in his eyes.

“Hey neighbor!” Wels smiled warmly, opening the door a bit more. “What brings you here?”

Grian’s brain short-circuited. “I’m, uh, I’m not your neighbor, like, not even close.”

“Ahah,” Wels kept up his grin awkwardly, “yeah, it’s just something I say.”

“Oh.” Grian blinked at him, trying to remember when he’d met the guy. “Did you cut your hair?”

Grian wanted to kick himself, and maybe be swallowed up by the ground, but Wels just laughed easily and invited him in.

Grian followed, relieved, as Wels continued to talk.

“Yeah, I had dead ends, so I chopped a lot of it,” he said, leading Grian to a wooden table with a comfortable-looking couch and an armchair, “Lucky for me, it’ll grow back quickly.”

Grian first noticed the stand, wearing the rest of Wels’ armor. He made a note to ask about it.

As Grian took a seat at the couch, Wels made his way into the kitchen, which was connected and even smaller. He admired the soft, plaid blanket that was draped on the couch. It looked like the kind you’d use at your Nan’s house.

“Just a moment, I just need to get this out to cool,” Wels called from the kitchen, pulling on oven mitts.

The house smelled of homemade pastries and sweet berries. There was little sound except for the running water outside, and Wels humming a little tune.

“Can I get you anything?”

Grian politely declined, not wanting to trouble the man further. Wels nodded and, after sliding a disc into the jukebox across the room, took a seat in the armchair.

The familiar tune of ‘Chirp’ sounded throughout the house, quiet and soothing. Grian removed his shoes and crossed his legs on the sofa comfortably, wondering how to begin.

“So, I know I asked already, but what brings you here?” Wels asked kindly, typing something into his com before looking up.

“I... I’m not sure, actually.” Grian admitted, suddenly realizing how weird it must seem for him to be here.

Wels didn’t think so, apparently, his eyes growing soft, but smile unwavering. “You look stressed, bud. Something up?”

“Well.. yeah, I guess that’s why I’m here,” Grian chuckled nervously, “My friend.. uh, Mumbo, that is.. told me I should come see you.”

“And, uh,” he quickly added, “I just figured it would be nice anyways, since I haven’t talked to you much since I came here.”

Wels laughed softly. “No worries, Grian. It’s good to see you. You don’t have any allergies, do you?”

Grian tilted his head curiously. “No, why?”

An alarm sounded from Wels’ com, making Grian jump slightly. Wels laughed and rose, moving to the kitchen again.

“I made blueberry pie, should’ve just finished cooling, you want some?”

Grian smiled, the tension leaving him finally. “I’d love some.”

“So,” Wels began, once they were both seated at the table, “What’s going on?”

The pie smelled incredible, but pausing to answer the question, Grian said, “Well.. I started a big project that’s really important to me, and...”

He looked down sadly, remembering why he was feeling this way. He took a bite of the pie along Wels, and it was absolutely extraordinary. Just the right amount of sweetness, and fresh and warm. He brightened considerably for a moment.

“And it didn’t go the way you wanted?” Wels guessed, eating his own piece.

“Yeah... the cheaper method didn’t work,” Grian said, stabbing at the pie with his fork, attempting to slide the dough back on that had fallen off. “This is really, really good, by the way, thanks so much.”

Wels smiled brightly, waving it off. “Of course!”

“I didn’t think it would work or anything,” Grian admitted, “But for some reason, I’m just... so frustrated, because it could have.”

“So, are you gonna try the harder method?”

“Of course, but I can’t help but feel... put off.” Grian sighed, finishing the last of his slice. His eyes flickered up to the pie in the center, but quickly looked back down.

Wels, noticing this, stood and cut two more slices, putting one on each of their plates. Grian gave a small smile, thanking him quietly.

Chirp ended and started playing again, and Wels didn’t seem to notice the loop, but Grian didn’t mind, enjoying being here.

And he was so at home that he didn’t think twice about confessing about the ‘project’ when Wels asked, telling him about the Portal, how it worked in his old world, and what he needed to complete it. Wels listened with interest, accepting Grian’s help in clearing the table and with dishes, letting the other man rant as he pleased.

Grian realized, when Wels invited him to help tend to his garden, that he’d told the man he barely knew everything, but he agreed to help happily anyways, not feeling anxious at all.

It was getting darker now, and Wels brought a lantern on the way out, illuminating the way to the berry bushes. He kneeled down, and Grian joined him, ready to help.

“I just wanted to pick off the dead leaves, could you help?” Wels asked, already tending to the bushes, and Grian nodded, starting to copy Wels.

“Hey, uh, why do you still have your chestplate on at home?” Grian asked hesitantly, pulling off a couple of dried, browned leaves.

“A couple of reasons, but people always told meI let my guard down too easily,” Wels said quietly. “So I started wearing this all the time.”

“I...” Grian held back a laugh, knowing that Wels was more than guarded, physically. “I don’t think that’s what they meant, Wels.”

But when he looked over at the man, Wels was smiling softly, eyes sad.

“I know,” he said gently, “But they don’t say it anymore.”

“And you didn’t have to stop,” Grian realized.

“They meant well, but if I listened the way they wanted me to, would today have happened?” Wels asked, still speaking softly.

Grian went to speak, but closed his mouth.

Regaining his composure, Grian, trying to be gentle, said, “It might not always work. You have to remember you can’t help everyone.”

“Yeah,” Wels agreed, smiling down sadly at his bushes, hands unmoving now. “But I have to remember to try.”

Grian said nothing, staring at the pile of dead leaves he’d created. Moments passed by with the wind that grazed his hair and face.

The bushes were now green, vibrant, and lively.

“That’s better, isn’t it?” The knight was now standing, and when Grian looked into his eyes, there was an understanding deeper than his own. “Took a while, but it’s home again now.”

“What..?” Grian whispered, searching the man’s face for answers, and finding only a friendly smile as his expression shifted.

“The bushes, of course! House feels a lot nicer now that they’re healthy!”

Wels held out his hand, and Grian, bemused, took it, and was hoisted up easily.

“You gonna get back to work?” Wels asked, not letting go.

Grian’s eyes went wide, and then he smiled, nodding. “I’m excited to.”

Wels, smiling back, released his grip on Grian’s hand, and they bid each other goodnight, Wels giving his well wishes.

As soon as Grian had made his way through the trees to where he was out of site of the cabin, he stopped, using his com to illuminate his path.

He sighed, chuckling a bit. “Yeahhhh, I have no idea how to get home.”

He checked his com. Only 8 pm. He opened his conversation with Mumbo and quickly typed out a plea for help.

[Private Message with Mumby]

Grian > mumboooooo

Grian > can you come get meeeeeeee

Grian > im lostttttttttttt

Mumby > oh my goodness... where are you

Grian > forest by wels’ house :/

Mumby > ...

Mumby > alright alright I’ll be on my way in a half an hour

Grian > WHAT

Mumby > YOU CAN WAIT!

Rolling his eyes, he moved to use the com for light again, but it buzzed with an alert.

It wasn’t from Mumbo, however, or Stress, or even X, Iskall, or Wels, or frankly, anyone that Grian would’ve expected to get a message from.

[New Private Message from Docm77]

Docm77 > I know what you’re doing, Grian

No further messages were sent. Grian felt a chill run down his spine.

[Private Message with Mumby]

Grian > please hurry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!! I hoped you like this chapter. More conflict and fun to come :D
> 
> If you don’t follow me on tumblr, I’m honeymakeshappy!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wuh-oh, someone’s angry :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! So, I worked really hard to get this out as fast as I did, and I’m really happy with how it came out! I can’t wait to continue with the next chapter. Things are finally starting to get good!
> 
> (pssst! hey you! don’t forget to read the end notes!)

"Grian?"

A voice was calling him, but it wasn't Mumbo's.

"Yeah?" He called back, voice cracking a bit, holding out the com to illuminate the trees in front of him. He turned slowly around, looking for the source of the voice.

The armored man stepped through the trees, waving to alert Grian of his presence. "Hey there."

Taking a deep breath, Grian's shoulders slumped and he replied, "Hey."

He noticed that Wels was wearing the full suit now, visor of his helmet pulled back to reveal his face.

"You don't know the way back, I guess?" Wels laughed, seemingly trying to ease Grian's nerves. Grian stepped closer to his friend quickly, following him closely back to the cabin.

Grian stayed quiet, nervously checking his com to see if there were any further messages. There weren't.

"Hey, are you friends with Doc?"

Grian's heart stopped. "What? Why?"

"He messaged me..." Wels said, starting to sound uneasy from Grian's tone, "...Asking where you were?"

_Fuck_. A pit of dread formed in Grian's stomach. He didn't know what Doc's deal with him was, or if he even had one, but he sure as hell didn't want to find out.

"No," he said quickly, then immediately shut up, unsure if he should say more.

"Ah, yeah, I had this weird feeling," Wels amended as they reached the light of his cottage.

Wels opened the door, turning to invite Grian inside with a grin and a wink. "So I told him you were at Mumbo's."

A relieved smile spread across Grian's face as he gratefully accepted the invite.

"I don't have a spare bedroom, but is the couch okay?" Wels was already bringing pillows into the living room from his.

"More than okay," Grian said earnestly, "Thank you so much for letting me stay the night."

"Who said I was letting you stay the night?" Wels deadpanned, before chucking a pillow directly at Grian's face. The guy was strong, cause it made a harsh impact. Putting the pillow down, Grian looked up to see Wels grinning.

"Might just toss you outside while you're sleeping." He teased.

Grian laughed, ducking to dodge another pillow that came his way. Wels threw it strong and fast, but Grian was, thankfully, good at avoiding sudden attacks.

"Might as well," Grian joined in, setting up the pillows on one end of the couch, "Don't need to worry about Doc when I can worry about the wolves."

He thought he was done, but something large and heavy was thrown around him, blocking his vision and making everything go dark. He lifted the comforter off his face, laughing and turning to Wels, who was feigning a shocked expression.

"Really?"

"You should've seen it," Wels exclaimed, mouth agape. "The comforter just teleported above you! Before my very eyes!"

The man grabbed his shoulder as Grian laughed, shaking him slightly. "What Gods have you angered, Grian?! I cannot allow you to stay here with such witchcraft following you!"

"Shut it," Grian giggled, shoving the gloved hand off of him.

Wels cracked, a grin spreading across his face as he started laughing. "Alright, alright, I'll leave you to sleep now. Bathroom's first door on the left. Let me know if you need anything."

Grian thanked him again, getting comfortable on the couch and opening his com.

[Private Message with Mumby]

Grian > hey dude

Grian > did you leave yet?

After a few minutes, his friend responded.

Mumby > no not yet sorry, everything ok?

Grian let out a relieved sigh, but unsure of the answer to the question.

Grian > ok great. don't come anymore, I'm staying at Wels'

Grian > and yeah everything's fine, but could you still do me a favor?

Mumby > sally?

Grian > yes please and thank you

Mumby > you owe me

Grian closed the com, finally relaxing and settling against the pillows, when Wels walked back into the room, flipping a light switch, holding his com out.

Grian, confused, opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Wels held up a finger warningly, giving him a warning look.

A noise came from the com- a voice. So Wels was on a voice call.

The voice was deep and gravelly with a bit of an accent- German?

' _I talked to Mumbo,_ ' the voice said harshly, ' _He said Grian wasn't there._ '

Grian felt the blood coursing through him solidify, freezing up. He shook his head frantically.

"Oh, really?" Wels said, still looking Grian directly in the eyes. "Must've left, I guess. Kid doesn't stay too long in one place."

The voice in the com sighed, frustrated. ' _You really have no idea where he is?_ '

"Sorry bud," Wels apologized, not sounding sorry at all. "Isn't it kinda late to go looking for him though? He's probably sleeping."

' _That doesn't matter to me,_ ' the com snapped, then it sighed, turning softer. ' _Sorry, Wels, I didn't mean to bother you this late. Have a good night._ '

"See you around," Wels said carefully, and ended the call. Grian was still shaking slightly.

"Hey, now," Wels placated, approaching Grian and taking a seat next to him. "It's alright!"

Grian took a deep breath, but said nothing. He felt Wels' arm wrap around him, cold and heavy, but comforting.

"Doc's a good guy, I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding," Wels comforted. "Once everything gets cleared up it'll be fine."

"What if it's not?" Grian gulped.

"Well, yeah, that's a possibility..." Wels admitted, "But if he tries anything, which I'm sure won't happen, you've got me and others looking out for you, okay?"

Grian, feeling his nerves settle a little bit, nodded. "Alright."

The arm left his back, and they bid each other goodnight for the third and final time, light switching off again.

Grian took the plaid blanket from the side of the couch, putting it underneath the thick comforter and crawling under both of them. It felt heavy and warm on his body.

He took out his com, blinking, disoriented, as the light filled his eyes.

He waited, and there was nothing.

He put it down, keeping it gripped tightly in his hand for the rest of the night, awaiting the telltale buzz.

When morning came, he still hadn't gotten any messages, which was both relieving and disconcerting.

Wels had woken up before him, offering to let him stay for breakfast, but Grian politely declined and headed out after thanking Wels profusely. Wels mentioned briefly that he'd be out today, so he should message him if he wants to find him, which Grian thought nothing of.

He headed home as soon as he could, collapsing on his bed as soon as he arrived at his base.

Grian's nerves had eventually been eased to a dull warning to be cautious that floated around the back of his mind, and so he willed himself to stop by the shopping district, knowing he needed to that day.

He was, ultimately, glad he'd went. He should've known that things wouldn't have gone as bad as he thought they would.

He'd seen Joe around, who greeted him, friendly as ever, before going on a cryptic, poetic spiel about a beast that Grian didn't understand, but it was nice to see him nonetheless.

Things had, overall, been going fine, and Grian simply stopped to pick up some wood when he saw them.

Wels, though sitting a significant distance away, looked at Grian and smiled, waving. Grian smiled back, eyeing the man sitting next to Wels curiously. After a moment, he recognized the robot, who saluted at him mockingly before continuing his apparent conversation with the knight.

_Biffa_.

And things continued to be fine, and Grian entered the model tree, only to see him.

Mechanically built and minded, held together by scraps of metal, the skin that did show a course and dingy green. Thumbing over a point of a sharpened trident idly, sifting through the chest with the other hand, he stopped suddenly, rising to his full height. Slowly, painfully, his head turned, and he looked down at Grian. His face was split directly down the middle. One eye darkened, the other replaced completely. The cyborg grimaced upon sight.

"Grian," he muttered. The voice from the com- deep, strained, gravelly, and downright chilling.

Grian visibly gulped, raising a hand as if ready to open his inventory. "Uh- I just needed wood-"

The man stepped toward him. Grian was painfully aware of how he towered over him.

"I know what you're doing."

"I know..." Grian whispered, backing out of the shop anxiously. Doc stepped forward each time he stepped back.

The man raised his voice now, "And you think it's okay to endanger us like this?! Did you think about the consequences? Do you even care?"

Grian finally tapped hurriedly, pulling up his inventory in a panic, and dragging a sword to the physical world clumsily.

"Listen man, I don't- I don't want to fight, I'm not trying to hurt anybody-" Grian was cut off as a trident swung towards him, piercing through his inventory, making it glitch and faze out, stopping to point at his face. He froze, terrified.

"Oh, you're not _trying_ ," Doc laughed coldly, pulling back his trident from Grian's face who let out a breath, shaking.

"That's _rich_." The trident was suddenly thrust towards Grian, but before he could act, a flash of red and gold obscured his vision, and everything stilled, trident inches from his nose, a sword blocking its path.

Biffa, from his left, had caught the trident mid-pierce, still tensed, glaring at Doc with fury blazing in his icy eyes.

The rhythmic clang of armor approached them, stopping in front of the extended trident next to Biffa.

Grian, body finally working, took a frightened step away from the end of the trident and looked at Wels, who had an uncharacteristic look of anger in his eyes.

"Now," Wels' voice was calm, but dangerous. He placed his hand over Biffa's, slowly pushing it down, the sword and hooked trident following until they pointed at the ground.

"We wouldn't want to hurt anyone, would we?" He smiled placatingly at Doc, but his eyes were burning with repressed anger. "It's not nice to threaten people."

Doc kept his trident pointed downwards, but quickly replaced the look of shock on his face and narrowed his eyes. "My private matters with him don't concern you."

Biffa drew his sword from its wedged place in the trident slowly, purposefully scraping it loudly. Doc, to Grian's utter shock, flinched upon seeing Biffa's head snap up to glare at him.

Wels patted Doc's arm, mockingly, comfortingly.

"If it's in the shopping district, it concerns us all," he smiled, then growing sincere for a moment. "You're my friend, Doc, but this is out of line. You can resolve this a different way."

"Grian," Wels continued, taking hold of his arm gently and letting go of Doc's, "Will be going back to his base now."

"Fine," Doc snapped, "If you want me to, I'll take this out of the shopping d-"

"And," Wels interrupted calmly, nodding to Biffa, who pulled Grian aside, "We'll be going with him."

Grian was out of earshot when he saw Doc protest, annoyed, and begin to argue with Wels. Wels apparently retaliated, because Doc started protesting nervously, looking like he was trying to defend himself.

"So," Biffa drawled, "New guy."

Grian, racing heart finally calming a bit, turned to the man- _robot?_ Beside him. His visor had been flipped back down, pushing his blonde hair to the side and dulling the blue of his eyes with yellow.

"What'd you do to get the creeper man after your blood?" Biffa teased, the corner of his mouth rising in a grin, revealing a sharp fang. Grian shivered.

"I don't know," he responded earnestly, hesitantly sliding his sword back into his hotbar. "I think he's mad about this project I'm doing, but I have no idea why, or- or even how he..." Grian trailed off, brows furrowing.

"Wait... how _did_ he find out?" Grian muttered, heart racing.

Biffa scanned his face curiously until Wels reappeared beside them, Doc nowhere in sight.

"He.. he's a good guy, I promise." Wels sounded so weary that Grian, though he wanted to protest, just nodded sympathetically.

"We'll walk you back," Wels amended hurriedly, "And I'll stay with you if you don't feel safe, I- I'm sorry. I came here to look out for you, but, we were almost too late, it could've escalated, you..."

Wels stopped his ramble, reverting back to the calm, kind knight everyone knew him as.

"Doc'll lay off if Wels is looking out for you," Biffa piped up, attempting to calm Grian's nerves. He smiled again, displaying his fangs purposefully, "Especially if I'm around."

_He has a point_ , Grian gulped. _Wels does_ not _look like the type you want to snap, and Biffa, well..._

Biffa flashed another fanged grin, leaning against his sword idly, confidently.

_Yeah, that._

"Thank you..." Grian finally said, "You don't need to do this, but... I really appreciate it. Doc is... uh..."

He trailed off, and Wels laughed, agreeing, "Doc certainly _is_ 'uh', my friend, and I'm sure things'll clear up soon. I'll help you talk to him when you're ready."

Grian smiled thankfully, giving a thumbs up, hands still shaking.

Once they'd made it back to Grian's base safely, Biffa said a lazy goodbye, but sweetly reminded Grian that he was nearby if he ever felt unsafe. Grian almost forgot what a nice guy he was with how scary and forward he could be when he wanted to.

Wels, however, stayed with Grian a little longer, checking to make sure he was okay, but Grian was pretty sure it was all an elaborate scheme to play with his chicken.

At least Sally got some playtime, though, so he didn't mind, enjoying the company until he left.

And then... he was alone.

And it felt odd.

Lately, he'd been around people constantly, especially these last few days, so it was odd not seeing anyone, or not having anyone to talk to about everything that had just happened.

And... he honestly wanted to.

[Private Message with Mumby]

Grian > hey, are you free tonight?

Mumbo > ah, sorry! I have to meet with iskall

Grian > no worries

Grian sighed. Well, it wasn't the end of the world.

[Private Message with Stress]

Grian > hey, are you free tonight?

He waited, patiently, but received no response. Disappointing, but... he still had another option.

[Private Message with Xisumavoid]

Grian > hey X, are you free tonight?

Xisuma > sorry, I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment

Grian > everything okay?

Xisumavoid > yeah, thx :) just have to make a big decision

Grian > no worries, see you!

He was about to surrender to being alone that night when his com buzzed with a notification- Stress.

Stress > hey sorry!

Stress > yup! you wanna hang out?

Grian smiled. He knew it was unlike her to not answer. He continued chatting with her for a little bit, agreeing to meet up at her castle.

Peering out of his base and seeing that it was still light out, he first fed Sally, kneeling down in her enclosure while she ate.

“You’re such a good girl,” he cooed, stroking her soft, feathery head. She paid him no mind, focused on eating as quickly as possible, and he just watched her do so fondly.

“I’m gonna go visit Stress,” he told her, and she continued to ignore him. “You remember Stress, right?”

No more of her food was left, and she looked up at him and clucked softly, ruffling her feathers.

“Guess not,” he chuckled. Finally, he rose, figuring he should head over before Stress got worried.

Saying goodbye to Sally, he propelled himself off of a shulker box, pulling the string of a firework with glee. He’d take any excuse to fly.

Soaring through the exit of his base, he let the rushing wind ease his heart, wings beating rapidly, excitedly.

The journey wasn’t short, but once he finally made it to the castle, it was worth it to have been able to fly on his own.

“GRIAN!” Stress was waving both her arms at him from the ground, laughing and beaming. He smiled back brightly, taking a quick dive to land by her, narrowly avoiding crashing.

“Whoah,” he breathed, holding onto her extended arm for dear life as black clouded his vision. “I’m SO dizzy, but that had to look _sick_.”

“It did,” Stress laughed, then hit his arm, reprimanding him. “But don’t do that again! That was scary!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Grian rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, mum.”

He received another slap.

“Alright!” He exclaimed, but laughed. “So are we just going to stand out here, or...?”

“Yes.” Stress said seriously.

He stared at her for a moment, and she stared back blankly. Grian clicked his tongue, nodding, Stress giving a small ‘ _yup_ ’.

Grian started tapping his foot, looking around, but when he turned back to look at his friend, he finally cracked, breaking into peals of laughter, Stress joining him immediately after.

“Okay, okay,” Stress lamented, leading him through the lavish halls, up stairs, eventually reaching a balcony with a bench that looked out upon the world.

“Nice view,” Grian said softly, still standing when Stress took a seat on the bench. After a moment of staring, he joined her, and began.

“There’s just like... a lot of stuff going on right now,” he said, and she nodded encouragingly. “Is it okay if I tell you about it?”

“Of course!” She pushed him playfully. Her hand, partially covered in crackly ice, felt freezing against his arm. He pushed her back in retaliation, scolding her to warm up and melt it once in a while.

“What?” She rolled her eyes at him, exasperated. “Ice queen gonna catch a cold? You know it doesn’t bother me.”

Grian eyed the ends of her cardigan wearily, which had bits of icy slush clinging to it. “Sure.”

“Anyways, what’d you want to talk about?”

“Right, well...” he started, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly, and explained everything that’d happened with Doc.

Stress listened with intense interest, nodding, face contorting in emotions that Grian didn’t have the heart to identify as he spoke.

“Then Biffa, you know Biffa? I was talking to him while they were talking, so I didn’t really hear-“

He was interrupted by the telltale alert of his com- not a message, but a voice call.

It was X.

Confused, he accepted it, Stress seeming curious. If being perfectly honest, he was too.

‘ _Hey, Grian? I just wanted to let you know I’ve been thinking._ ’

“Good job,” Grian joked, waiting for X to continue.

The man laughed, slightly distorted with static through the com. ‘ _Yeah, well, my answer is yes. For the bedrock, that is. You’re going to have to make a plan with me, I’m not just going to have you rush into it, but I’ll lend you what you need._ ’

Grian, ecstatic, thanked him to no end, tearing up slightly as Stress looked on in confusion, occasionally asking questions and getting shut down.

When the call ended, he shook himself out of it, turning his attention back to Stress and apologizing.

“And- I’ll explain about the bedrock thing later,” he told her, and she let him continue talking about the events with Doc.

“So... yeah.” He finished shortly, and her face was completely unreadable.

“Can I excuse myself for a moment?” She asked, and there was a bit of a bite to her voice, so he agreed quickly and waited patiently.

When she returned, she seemed much less tense, smiling and explaining that she just needed to cool down.

“That’s messed up,” Stress sighed. “If he tries anything, let me know.”

The conversation continued on normally- they talked about simple things, nicer things, just enjoying each other’s company. Grian ended up braiding Stress’ hair while they talked- it was short, but just long enough to keep together, and it wound up so tight that Stress joked she’d have to wash it like that for a week.

They were talking about drawing together again, Stress suggesting that they do challenges out of it, when Grian’s com buzzed a couple of times.

[3 New Private Messages from Wels]

Wels > Grian? This is important

Wels > Tell me where you are

Wels > Please respond

Grian > im at stress’ place, everything good? lol

Wels > Stay exactly where you are

Wels > I’m headed over right now. So is Biffa.

<Wels is typing>

Grian, growing more scared by each word and passing second, was about to ask what was going on, when a bang sounded through the castle- like a door being thrown open. Stress rushed inside, Grian following hurriedly.

Another large door slammed open, echoing against the wall of the castle, reverberating through their skulls.

This time, it was the door to the large bedroom they were in, a man, disheveled and gasping, leaning against it heavily, swinging back and forth unsteadily.

Doc looked deranged when his head whipped up to look Grian directly in the as his chest heaved.

**_“You.”_ **

The sound of footsteps rushing towards him, a blur of shapes and the sound of scraping metal rung in his ears. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so happy I get to start getting into main plot points! Finally!
> 
> There’s a LOT I have planned for this fic- SO MUCH beyond what you’ve seen so far, and I am so excited.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and huge thank you to everyone who left comments and asks- I appreciate it so much! I read everything and it makes me so very happy.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know! More to come soon!
> 
> -honey


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fight and a warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This fic is starting to get really plot-heavy at this point, so the following chapters are going to require just as much as this one did! (which was a whole lot, by the way!) 
> 
> Also, if you’re thinking we’re nearing the end of the fic, you are very, very wrong! There’s still so so much to go!

A narrow miss- the edges of the trident grazed Grian's arm, tearing the fabric and skin, but he paid no mind to that, clumsily trying to dodge the next swing.

Stress stopped screaming, ( _had she been screaming?)_ opting to push Doc back as much as possible with her own sword, the ice of her hands growing further up her arms, creeping slowly as she fought with every ounce of strength in her being, metal clashing and clanging.

"Stay _**OUT OF THIS!**_ " Doc roared, swinging the flat of his trident against Stress' rib with all his might, throwing her across the room to land against the wall with an ear-splitting crack.

"Stress!" Grian cried, staggering to his feet and holding his bleeding arm tightly, eyes snapping up to look at Doc in pure terror.

He couldn't help it- tears, hot and heavy, streamed down his face as Doc panted, clutching his trident dangerously, task left incomplete, beads of sweat dripping down the both of them.

"What is your problem?" He gasped out, "I didn't do _anything_ to you."

"SHUT UP!" Doc's voice cracked, almost unnoticeable.

The trident, flung haphazardly, barely missing Grian's head, lodged into the wall right beside him.

Doc... didn't _miss_ a still target.

In fact, Doc wasn't moving at all anymore, just standing incredibly still, looking down at the floor, breathing heavily.

“Why are _you_ so special.”

A ear-splitting scream of pain from the left of the room- Stress had regained consciousness.

She rose, slowly, unsteadily, losing her balance before regaining it by propping up against the wall. Her knees bent and adjacent, she clutched at the fabric covering her side roughly, breathing ragged and uneven.

Both Grian and Doc were frozen, watching her. She took in deep, gasping breaths, face turned to the floor as ice, gleaning and crackling, crept up her forearms slowly, encasing her fingers and knuckles entirely.

Grian's eyes darted to Doc's, seeing a flash of uncertainty- then pure, unadulterated horror. His head whipped back to look at Stress again- just as her head whipped up, making a horrible cracking sound, and he sucked in a breath, shaking.

Her pupils nor irises were visible now, everything a cool, icy blue- her face cracked along her cheeks and jaw into slabs of sharp ice that seemed to be overtaking her.

And without a word, she rushed forward in a flash, just in time for Doc to throw up his trident to protect his chest.

She didn't stop, though, grabbed the handles of the trident with him, slamming herself forward and screaming. Grian just watched, horrified, fumbling with his inventory to grab his sword, pulling it out of the screen as quickly as he could, when Stress won the battle of strength, ripping the trident from Doc's grasp- which now had frozen over where she'd gripped it- and throwing it down the stairs roughly.

Before he could pull a sword out of his inventory, Doc was punched square in the jaw by Stress' frozen fist, throwing him back a few paces as he stumbled. She'd made contact with the metal part of his face, leaving a significant dent in it.

"Stress," Doc gasped, growing more uncertain and fearful by the moment, but Stress was having none of it, swinging for him again. He dodged, this time, dragging a sword out of his inventory and swinging at her next incoming throw. Cracks ran through the ice that covered her hand, but they melded moments later.

New shapes- flashes of red and gold throwing themselves into the fight, failing to tear Doc away from Stress.

Grian was suddenly guided firmly back to the wall, Wels beside him, an arm held out protectively.

"Grian," Wels said quietly, his calm, steady voice the only lifeline in the sea of chaos. Wels didn't tear his eyes away from the fight, where Biffa was still trying to separate Stress and Doc as much as possible. Stress looked to be in severe pain from her ribs.

"Biffa will handle Doc," he continued, firmly holding onto Grian, letting the man lean his weight on him for a moment. "I need you to take care of Stress with me. We need to get her away from him and calm her down."

Grian nodded, feeling weak and lightheaded. Heart pounding in his throat, he followed along closely with Wels towards the center of the room.

Biffa shoved Doc's chest backwards, sending him stumbling backwards, away from Stress, who lunged again, yelling something incoherent.

Wels rushed in, grabbing the end of her cardigan and yanking it backwards, attempting to grab hold of her arm- but she simply shrugged off the cardigan and went for Doc's throat again.

But before Stress could reach him, Grian, abandoning all logical sense, jumped in front of her, grabbing hold of her shoulders.

"Stress, please," he begged, and she paused for a moment, eyes flickering.

Wels took this opportunity to grab hold of her arm, yanking her backwards roughly as she yelped, eyes flickering rapidly. Wels winced from the cold of her skin.

Grian joined him in trying to push Stress to the farthest wall and bring her sitting to the floor- she struggled, but Wels' iron grip and the look in Grian's eyes dulled her efforts. Her eyes began to look, in the flashes, more frequently like her own brown ones.

Wels, with some difficulty, managed to grab onto her arm, pushing her down to a sitting position. The both of them crouched in front of her while she gasped heavily, shivering, Wels still holding her shoulder firmly.

Grian reached forward with both hands, hesitating briefly when she flinched back, but she nodded shakily, moving forward ever-so-slightly, and he embraced her slowly, and the seething anger just fell out of her like a gust of wind. He felt her lose all tension, her body weight falling as she lifted her arms to hug back exhaustedly.

Stress didn’t pull back, just weakly clinging to the back of her friend’s sweater. Wels rubbed her back comfortingly with an armored hand.

Stress was cold against him, but that faded eventually too.

“You okay?” Wels asked her softly, a firm hand still pressing into her back. She mumbled into Grian’s shoulder.

“What was that?” Wels asked, glancing across the room at Biffa, who was kneeled on the floor, seemingly examining the damaged mechanical part of Doc’s face.

“Doc?” Stress asked, a little clearer this time, tensing again in seeming anger.

“He’s fine,” Grian responded, finally speaking up. “He stopped. Everything’s fine.”

She let out a breath, and finally let herself be pushed up by Wels to lean her back against the wall behind her.

Grian’s voice grew hard as Wels scanned Stress for injuries.

“You could’ve seriously hurt him, Stress, what were you thinking?!” He exclaimed, exasperated. “You actually might have!”

Stress blinked at him, one eye at a time. It was unnerving- he’d never seen her this lacking of energy. Thin cracks of ice still ran across her face. Her eyes flickered tiredly for a moment.

His eyes softened.

“He was going to hurt you,” she protested. “You’re my friend. I was sticking up for you.”

“Oh,” Grian said quietly, and Wels sighed, setting down her wrist.

“You didn’t have to go this far,” The knight’s voice was thick and quiet, “And you definitely shouldn’t have put yourself in danger.”

“I know,” she said weakly, “I was mad.”

“I know,” Wels responded in turn, and that was that.

“We need to regulate your temperature,” Wels murmured, bringing up his inventory. Stress just watched him do so, gaze unwavering. It was... odd, to see her like this.

“Grian,” Biffa called out, and he turned to the men on the other side of the room- now joined by... _Xisuma?_

“X,” Grian said, surprised, as he pushed himself up to be near them.

When he approached, he noticed Biffa was firmly holding the arm of Doc, as if he might try to attack again.

Doc, however, was just splayed out against the wall, breathing heavily, head faced down.

X, uncharacteristically, removed his helmet and set it on the floor, resting on one knee to look down at Doc.

His face was wracked with disappointment. Doc didn’t look up to see it.

“Doc...” X began, and Doc just breathed in response.

Grian sat down on the balls of his heels next to Xisuma, heart pounding. He stared at the top of Doc’s head, who still wouldn’t face them.

“Doc,” Grian said, more firm and sad than X, and he looked up for the first time.

Tears were streaming down from his dark eye, his red cyborg one devoid of light and cracked.

“Why...” his voice was even tougher than usual, “X, why are you helping him.”

“He-“

“I begged you for months,” Doc interrupted, betrayal and heartbreak in his eyes. “I begged you for months that felt like _decades_ , X, and you always told me it was _too dangerous._ That I just had to _move on_.”

“And you know what,” Doc made a sound between a laugh and a sob, starting apathetic, but filling with emotion in an instant. “I did. I had to act like it was fine and just go about my business.”

“HE,” Doc thrust up his hand to point shakily at Grian, who flinched, and Biffa grabbed his wrist roughly, warningly. “ _He_ was allowed time.”

Doc lowered his hand, and his voice shook as fresh tears streamed down the one side of his face. “ _He_ got to grieve.”

“Not only that, _you_...” he laughed again, wiping at his face roughly, to no avail. “You’re _helping_ him. To see them again.”

X stayed silent, wide-eyed.

“ _‘I know you miss the NHO’_ , you’d said!” Doc mocked, and a sob wracking through his whole body, shaking him to the very core. He took a moment to let it pass through him. “ _God_ , what an _understatement_ , and I just had to _go with it.”_

“I’m sorry, Doc,” Grian said, growing more and more hurt by the moment, “But what is your problem with _me_?”

“ _You_ ,” Doc began, exhaling shakily as he held his face, “Are leaving.”

“What?” Grian scanned his face for an answer, finding guilt and sorrow in his eyes.

“You know how goddamn much it hurts, I know you do,” Doc continued, voice growing rougher, “You made friends here, Grian. You- you made people _care about you_. And you’re just going to _leave_.”

“Do they mean _nothing_ to you?” Doc whispered furiously, looking him dead in the eyes. Grian took in a startled breath, eyes growing damp.

“Of course- of course they do, I just...”

Doc was calmer now, drying his face carefully.

“What I wouldn’t _give_ to have them back,” Doc said quietly, eyes filled with grief and longing. “But you’re going to do just what they did to me, and what _they_ did to _you_. But _you’re_ doing it on _purpose_.”

“I- I’m sorry,” Grian tried, shaking his head, distressed. He grabbed a fistful of his hair roughly.

“That’s enough,” X told Doc firmly, “None of that gave you the right to attack Grian. You put a hermit in danger.”

The German looked over at Grian again, sympathy in his gaze. He slowly, as to not startle him, moved his robotic hand forward, hovering over Grian’s arm, waiting for permission.

Grian, nervous but touched, nodded, and Doc’s hand landed lightly on his arm, gripping it gently.

“I’m sorry,” Doc said, with full sincerity, and Grian couldn’t help but to reach out and pat his arm awkwardly, but comfortingly.

“Yeah,” Grian laughed sadly, “I am too.”

“I.. I’ll support you, Grian,” Doc’s gravelly voice said, “But please, so this disaster wasn’t all for nothing, think carefully about it. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

“I.. I will,” Grian promised, and Doc retracted his arm, letting his head fall against the wall wearily.

“Thank you,” Doc said finally, and to X’s and Grian’s horror, passed out.

“Oh my God!” X exclaimed, shaking his friend’s shoulder in a panic. Grian just stared, mouth agape.

Biffa started giggling quietly, then laughing, growing louder and more mirthful. They turned to look at him, as did Wels and Stress across the room, staring.

“He’ll be fine,” Biffa laughed, cracking himself up now, “Oh my god, he’s dead. We killed him.”

Grian snorted, anxiety subsiding, pushing against his fringe with his fist.“We did it, folks, roll credits.”

Grian joined him in giggling hysterically, X eventually calming down and joining them- the three of them leaning against each other, gasping for breath, laughing like insane men in front of the sleeping Doc. Wels and Stress shared a look.

“Let him rest,” Biffa eventually said, still grinning. “I hate to say it, but the guy deserves it.”

Biffa, with only a little difficulty, managed to hoist his fellow cyborg into his arms, struggling briefly before being him down the stairs.

Stress, supported by Wels, was helped over to where Grian sat with X, waving at him with a tired smile.

“I know there’s a lot to talk about, but I need to sleep.”

Grian smiled back kindly at her, nodding understandingly. “No worries. Take as much time as you need.”

She flashed him one last exhausted grin before Wels, waving and promising to come right back after, helped her down the hall clumsily.

And then there were two.

“Grian...” X sighed, pinching his nose, looking guilty. Grian turned to him curiously, giving his full attention now.

“I feel like a bad friend,” Xisuma admitted, face twisted in regret. “All of what Doc said- it’s true. I didn’t think about any of that. I feel stupid.”

Grian elbowed him lightly, playfully. “Come on, now. So, you did something stupid. Doesn’t make _you_ stupid.”

X smiled sadly, looking tired as all hell. “Maybe not. But I need to make this up to him somehow.”

Grian turned serious, clapping his friend on the arm, eyes kind and thoughtful. “You will.”

X closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded. When he opened them again, they were filled with resolve.

“First order of business, though- planning your departure.”

Grian felt a heavy feeling settle in his stomach, nodding, just as Wels walked back into the room- the most energetic out of all of them, besides Biffa.

“First order of business, actually, is getting this kid to bed.”

Grian huffed, rolling his eyes. “I’m twenty six.”

After a couple of weeks, news of the events at the castle had spread throughout the entire server- even TFC might have been aware at this point.

Wels and Biffa received endless thanks from Grian, and profuse apologies from Stress and Doc, which they accepted gratefully and humbly- well, Wels did. Biffa bragged about his heroism.

Stress had slept for nearly a full 24 hours, but once she had come to and remembered all that had happened, she met up with Grian immediately, checking on him and apologizing. He forgave her, and they spent a lot of time together after that, hanging out nearly daily.

Doc was slowly trying to make amends for his actions- people were wary at first, and he expected that, just trying to make things better. People began to forgive him as they saw him hanging out with Grian more often, talking and laughing.

Cub, one of the resident healers, had helped to mend Doc’s flesh wounds alongside Wels, which didn’t take long, as Cub was an excellent medic. His cyborg parts, however, were damaged extensively, and Biffa was not quite as good of a repairman as Doc- but it was coming along, with help from a few other hermits. His eye, however, still didn’t glow properly.

Stress and Doc had yet to make up fully, but they had apologized and talked things out, and were warming up to one another again, slowly but surely.

Grian, though still a little nervous around Doc, found that he wasn’t as scary as he’d originally thought. He was genuinely a fun guy.

He kind of reminded him of... Iskall.

‘ _Hey, man_ ,’ Iskall’s voice said through the com, ‘ _I know we don’t talk much, but I’d like to change that soon. I know... that you might be leaving, if things work out. And I know we aren’t that close, but, I’m gonna miss you, man_.’

Grian held the com up in the air, sat on the floor, head wresting on his knees. He listened sadly.

‘ _I was thinking we could hang out sometime- the whole server knows, by the way, we’re planning on sending you off. I was supposed to tell you that. And, uh, if you decide against it, we’ll be really, really happy to have you_.’

‘ _Well... that’s all, I guess. You don’t have to respond if you don’t want to. I’m looking forward to seeing you again. Best... best of luck. Bye_.’

The voice was cut off by a click on the other end, and Grian sighed, stroking Sally’s chin softly.

It had been about a week, now, and X, knowing how eager Grian was to get going, spent a vast majority of his time prepping and planning.

Mumbo, too, was supposed to come over to break the news of when- he hadn’t actually seen the man since the night after the castle incident- the poor guy had been worried sick, not wanting to leave until he was sure Grian was okay.

Speak of the devil.

“Ouch!” A voice exclaimed, and Grian giggled a little bit, turning to his neighbor with a bright smile.

“Rough landing?” He asked, amused, as Mumbo dusted off his suit pants, knees buckling when he stood.

Mumbo sighed, but was smiling good-naturedly. “I know I’m a flightless bird, Grian. I didn’t come here for you to make fun of me.”

“Alright, alright,” Grian placated, throwing up his hands in an appeasing gesture, before pulling his friend into a brief hug. Mumbo squeezed him tightly, drawing back with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Tomorrow, if you’re ready.”

Grian’s face broke out into shock, then into an enormous grin, crying out joyfully, flinging himself at his friend in a hug, spinning around while he laughed in pure mirth and happiness.

Mumbo, despite his apparent hurt, hugged his friend back, letting himself be spun.

“Sleep on it, Grian,” Mumbo eventually said, voice soft and sad, eyes wet with sorrow. That sobered Grian a little bit, and he nodded, moving to talk with his friend for a while.

After a lengthy conversation, and some good fun together, Mumbo parted from him, promising to meet first thing tomorrow before anything happened.

Grian, exhausted and pensive, dimmed the lights and curled under the thick blankets off his bed, staring at the clock beside him.

_What if this was the last time he went to sleep in this bed?_

He tossed and turned for hours, thinking of his old friends, new ones, old worlds, new worlds, and everything that people have said to him- but what stuck with him most is the thought of going to sleep in that bed for the last time. Something that doesn’t matter to him nearly as much as anything else, and hardly even matters at all, but he couldn’t think of anything else until he fell into a slumber.

_A void, dark and endless, or perhaps very, very small, and he just doesn’t want to find the walls._

_He’s sitting cross-legged on top of nothing, and he examines the void around him- nothing of interest._

_He stands._

_‘You aren’t ready.’ A voice tells him, and he whips around to the source- seeing nothing._

_“Maybe not,” he admits aloud, “But I probably won’t ever be.”_

_‘Maybe not,’ the whispering voice agrees, and he turns around to the other side, but sees nothing again. ‘But you must understand, Grian, the universe is never kind..._ _at least, not at first.’_

_Grian stops, listening closely to identify the source of the voice._

_‘We’re going to give you a choice.’_

_The voice came from his left- he whipped around to look, and this time, he sees something._

_A blue, whispy, ghost-like shape in the form of a fox, with two tails. Its eyes glow light blue, and it sits, staring at him, tails swishing._

_“Who’s we...?” Grian chose his words carefully, eyeing the fox curiously._

_‘I think you know,’ The fox... spirit..? says, never opening its mouth, just staring and swishing its tails._

_‘You will have a choice, Grian. You will see not just what you want to, but everything, and only then may you choose to be selfish or not.’_

_“I know this is a dream,” Grian accused, and the fox tilted its head at him._

_‘That’s fair, but I’m only here to warn you. Don’t you have a saying? ’Don’t shoot the messenger?’ I just want you to remember.’_

_Grian moves to speak, but falls onto his hands and knees abruptly, coughing and hacking painfully. He grasps at his throat as he coughs up several small, feathery objects. His eyes shoot open as he wheezes, coming down from the cough._

_A few pretty pink petals lay on the ground in front of him. Cherry blossom petals._

_He coughs a couple more times, throat still pained and scratchy. The melodic voice comes from all around him now._

_‘Choose wisely. It won’t be black and white.’_

_He looked up, only to see the void turning into the white concrete of his base’s floor, the fox now gone._

His eyes shoot open, his breaths coming in short and quick, hand flying up to his face as he rises.

The blood rushes to his head, and he gets a little bit of deja vu. Clutching at his chest and head in a panic, his mind raced, little blue foxes dancing in the corners of his thoughts.

A buzz from his com- seemingly not the first, he noticed, picking it up and noticing tons of missed messages and calls from his neighbor.

The latest messages asked him to come over when he woke up.

He glanced at the time- 8:35. He luckily hadn’t slept in very much. Forcing himself out of the comfortable white bed, he got ready to go, pushing any thoughts of foxes as far out of his mind as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Thank you to everyone who left asks and comments. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as it’s one of my favorites I’ve written. Let me know your thoughts!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grian bids his friends goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: This may seem like it’s nearing the end of the fic! IT IS NOT! From this point, the fic is about halfway done!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you all so much for your comments, asks and tags on previous chapters. I appreciate it so, so much.

"Damn, these are good," Grian complimented, twisting the muffin in his hand before taking another bite. "Did you really make these?"

"What? No. Also, don't chew and talk," Mumbo replied, giving him a disgusted look. Grian rolled his eyes.

"Anyways," Mumbo continued, "Wels made these last night and asked me to give them to you."

Grian put down his muffin, looking at his friend. "What...? Is he not coming..?"

"No, he is!" Mumbo said hurriedly, and the corner of Grian's eyes crinkled a little bit, so he continued, "The people who are coming were supposed to be mostly a surprise, but, he is, just not till later when we're all there."

"That's nice of them," Grian's eyes were shining now, and he smiled a little bit, so Mumbo relaxed, going back to his food.

Eventually, breakfast had to come to a close, as the friendly talk just wasn't enough anymore to quell the anxiety stirring in both of their stomachs.

"So," Grian began, after they had cleaned up, and Mumbo nodded, agreeing. "So."

Grian laughed nervously before taking a deep breath and jumping into it.

"So, when does this actually take place?"

"Room's already ready," Mumbo replied, "We can all meet down there by... 4. It's been expanded, as well."

Grian nodded shakily, letting out a breath. "Okay. Cool."

He glanced at his com, which read 9:34 am. He still had plenty of hours left.

"Grian?"

"Yeah...?"

"Can we talk?" Mumbo asked softly, gesturing to the other room.

Grian sighed. He knew this would be coming, and he tried to prepare himself as best as he could, but...

"Yeah," he relented, pushing himself up from his chair, slowly, as if he didn't want to leave it.

He followed his neighbor to a sitting room, where they took a seat on the couch, Grian crossing his legs.

Mumbo, with bags under his eyes, rubbed at his face, blinking harshly a couple of times. His eyes were wet and sad. A pang shot through Grian's chest.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Ah," Grian said, rubbing his thumb along his palm, "So we're just jumping right into it. Okay, uh..."

He slackened, sighing. "I've been thinking about it a lot recently, and I think there's more options than we thought."

It might not be black and white, he tried to say, but he stopped himself, stomach filling with dread.

Instead, he said, "It might not be as simple as we've made it out to be."

"How so?" He had Mumbo's full attention now. He averted eye contact.

"Well... will the portal work both ways, or is it one-time? We haven't even thought of that!"

"You think you can come back through?" Mumbo's voice sounded strange- almost hopeful, but as if he were holding back.

Grian finally looked his friend in the eyes. "It would make sense, wouldn't it?"

Mumbo's eyes were wide, and he just stared at Grian, mouth cracking into a smile that held no joy, laughing nervously and pushing his hand into his hair.

"Heh... yeah."

Grian's concern only grew with this. "Are you okay...?"

"I'm just..." black hair was pushed further up. "I'm just really, really worried," a short, apathetic laugh that reminded Grian of his own when he'd first arrived. "About you going alone."

"What are you trying to say...?"

"Well..." Mumbo smiled hopefully, eyes tired and sad. "You used the buddy system, right?"

Grian felt himself seize up with emotion.

"You... would you really do that?"

Mumbo laughed quietly, nervously. "Yeah, I would. I mean, it _is_ called the buddy system."

"It's dangerous," Grian protested, "What if something goes wrong?"

"Well, then, you're certainly not going alone!" Mumbo exclaimed, then calming himself, and smiling nervously. "It'll just be us against the world, I guess."

_"Grian and Taurtis against the world!" The other boy exclaimed, laughter full of mirth and excitement. Grian joined him, cheering, bumping into his friend's shoulder obnoxiously._

_"Hey!" Grian was shoved aside, and he laughed, throwing his arm around Taurtis, who joined._

"Yeah," he agreed, beaming at his friend, pushing his worries aside.

"You're sure?" X raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them.

"It wouldn't be fair to let him go alone," Mumbo said, nodding. "We'll come back as soon as possible. Promise."

The portal room was empty except for the three of them, as Mumbo had wanted to talk things out with X before anyone else could arrive.

Grian could tell that Mumbo was anxious, so he focused on trying to calm his friend in order to quell his own fear for the time being.

X finally sighed, smiling sadly at the two of them.

"I respect that. You're a good man. Good friend."

When X's eyes shifted to look at Grian, the brightness dampened a little bit with disappointment.

But before either of them could say another word, the sound of heavy footsteps- a harsh, clanging sound- echoed through the stairwell, growing closer.

A tall, armored man with blonde hair appeared at the bottom, grinning with such a strong sense of mirth that it diffused the tension entirely. Xisuma slipped his helmet on.

"Grian! X!" He exclaimed, rushing forward to pull Grian into a tight hug.

"Mumbo!" Mumbo called out, sarcastically doing jazz hands as Wels laughed and pulled him into the hug as well.

"What's in the bag?" Mumbo asked curiously, gesturing to Wels' hand.

"Ah-" Wels fiddled with the opening for a moment, before pulling out several boxes. "Here. I made food for the journey. How exactly is this going to go?"

"Mumbo's going to accompany Grian for the first time, which will be temporary, and Mumbo'll come back after."

Grian looked away.

Wels' cheerfulness didn't falter, however. "Ah, you're going with him? Good! If you didn't, I would have!"

As it turned out, Wels had been overly prepared, and had packed double the food needed for one person 'just in case'.

It was a while before more people arrived, most in pairs. Cub and Scar arrived together, as did Ren and Doc, and later, after Python, Joe and Cleo.

It was so odd to see so many of them together again. But what was even stranger- with False arriving and saying her hellos- was the lack of Stress. Grian was plenty stressed, sure, but he hadn't seen his pink-clothed friend anywhere yet, and he was growing worried.

“Hey!” Grian’s thought process was interrupted by Scar, who was looming over him. “Whatcha doin’ down there?”

Grian smiled at him as the man took a seat on the floor opposite from Grian, pulling up his inventory.

“We haven’t really gotten to talk much!” Scar started, pulling a box from the screen, which he then expanded, doubling in size. He waved his hand idly through his inventory, dissipating it.

“Yeah,” Grian agreed, watching Scar set the shulker box on the ground.

Scar looked up from him, grinning with a mischievous air that reminded Grian of himself- especially before Hermitcraft. “But we’re builders, me and you.”

He nudged Grian encouragingly, whose eyes were flickering between Scar and the shulker box.

“Go on!”

He placed his hand on the top of the box, then slowly lifted his hand, the top following.

Inside were various assorted building materials, filling the box in its entirety. Grian gaped, as some of the materials were very expensive and hard to get a hold of.

“Oh my god,” he whispered, a smile growing in his face as he sifted through it, seeing the symbols for stacks of TNT near the end.

“Oh?” His mouth quirked into a smile as he looked up at Scar.

“Demolition purposes,” Scar winked, “And absolutely... no... other... reasons.”

Grian closed the box, pushing it into his inventory and pulling Scar into a brief hug, discovering immediately that his new friend gave amazing hugs.

“Thank you. Seriously. I love it.”

“Of course,” Scar smiles at him, but then turned a little sad- what would be a common theme for that day. “Take it as my apology.”

“What..?”

He looked regretful. “For not getting to know you while I had the chance.”

Grian’s heart felt heavy. “Hey, that’s alr-“

But before he could finish his thought, he saw in the corner of the room, a small figure- just a blur of brown and pink- make it’s way into the room slowly, looking around.

He stood suddenly, rushing over to her leaving Scar on the floor.

As he approached, she stood still, but didn’t look up.

“Stress?” He called lightly, reaching out to touch her shoulder, but his hand was slapped away. He flinched, grabbing it and holding it to his chest.

She mumbled something inaudible.

“What?” He asked her quietly, leaning in a bit.

“Don’t go,” she repeated, whispering, and to his horror, her voice was broken and shaky.

Confirming his suspicions, she raised her head, and tears were spilling down her cheeks from her big eyes- her face red and scrunched in hurt.

His words were lost in his throat as she sniffed, wiping at her face, to no avail.

“I know, I know,” she managed, barely intelligible. “You want to g-“

She took in a sharp, wheezing breath, biting her lip to stop herself, shoulders moving with each deep breath she took in order to stop herself.

“You want to go home,” she let out a few more shaky, harsh breaths, rubbing at her face before abruptly clinging onto him in a hug.

He felt a few tears leak from his own eyes, stomach hurting immensely as he hugged her back tightly, feeling more guilty than he had in a long time.

“I understand,” she mumbled into his sweater, gripping him more tightly.

They just stayed like that for a while- those that had noticed them politely ignored it and went on with their business, patiently waiting for the rest of the hermits.

When they finally pulled away from each other, she’d stopped crying, apologizing while she laughed.

“Look on the bright side,” she said, voice still thick with emotion. “That’s the worst you’ll have to deal with, ‘cause I’m the most emotional out ofall of us.”

“Maybe,” Grian smiled softly,but his face showed so much sorrow that it hurt to look at.

Stress smiled back, face tear-stained. She nodded over at the corner of the room. “Think Joe and Cleo have been wanting to talk to you. And probably others.”

“Yeah?” He asked, looking around at the faces. Cleo waved him over, and he nodded at her. “Yeah. I’ll see you in a bit, okay?”

Stress nodded at him, wiping her face one more time before going to sit with some others.

He made his way through the crowd of people to Cleo and Joe, who were looking at each other nervously.

“Hey, man,” Cleo began uncertainly, “You okay?”

Grian realized how he must’ve looked, and nodded sheepishly.

“Excellent!” Joe announced loudly, and Grian laughed lightly as some others turned to look at them briefly, rolling their eyes- Cleo included.

“We made a lil something for you,” Cleo said proudly, nudging Joe with her elbow.

“Yes!” He said, pulling out a piece of paper tied tightly with red ribbon. “In all seriousness, though, maybe don’t open it until you get there, got it?”

“Uh... sure thing.” Grian, confused, took the paper from Joe. “Thank you guys. It means a lot you would make something f-“

“Yeah, yeah, go see what X and Doc want.” Cleo interrupted, a fond smile on her face.

Grian laughed, bidding them goodbye for now, and joined X and Doc, who looked excited.

“Okay, so,” X began, but Doc interrupted.

“We’ve been working on his for a while,” he said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

X shoved him slightly. His voice was slightly muffled by his helmet. “I think you know what we have in common, so, we’ve spent a couple weeks tinkering with this, and, well..”

“I’m just gonna show it too him!” Doc exclaimed, impatient, excitedly pulling a small wooden object out of his string bag.

X huffed, clearly annoyed, but his eyes crinkled up with happiness when he saw Grian’s face light up, taking the small radio into his hands.

“Whoah,” he said, inspecting each inch of it.

“It’s like a mini jukebox- but without the discs,” X explained. “We made it be able to play your favorite tracks- just adjust the big dial there.”

“It also has a headphone jack!” Doc added- he was clearly ecstatic about the project.

“So you can keep this with you, and if you ever have any problems...” X continued.

Grian looked up at his friends, beaming. “Thank you both... so much.”

“What are friends for!” Doc said happily- it was always weird, but nice, to see such an intimidating person so happy and carefree. X pulled Grian into a tight one-armed hug, and Grian gripped Doc’s hand in a friendly manner, who slapped him on the shoulder gently.

The last to arrive was Iskall, who, upon getting there, immediately went to sit with Stress in the back of the room, talking with her.

“I better go,” Grian said to Cub and Scar, who he’d been talking with, pointing towards the two in the back.

“Hey,” he started as he approached Iskall and Stress, who both smiled at him.

To his surprise, when he kneeled in front of him, Stress immediately shoved a piece of paper into his chest, grinning, eyes wet.

“Take it, dummy,” she said, and he looked down at it- the polar bear drawing they’d done together.

“If you find him, I want you to play a drawing game.” She said, sounding emotional, but resolved. “And I want you to abuse the _hell_ out of that blush trick.”

He clutched it tightly to his chest, nodding, not trusting himself to speak. It was impossible to even find it silly.

“Hey,” Iskall said gently, voice much calmer and softer than his friend’s. “It’s been a minute.Sorry I got here late- I was finishing this up.”

He brandished a deep-blue backpack- the most noticeable feature, an ‘HC’ embroidered in big letters into the top.

“I’m certainly not the craftiest person but... I do try. And I’m not too bad at embroidery.”

Grian took it into his hands, noticing the small patches near the bottom- one resembled him, another Sally, another a simplified version of his base, and yet another ‘HC’ in red letters.

“You made this whole thing?” Grian asked, awestruck.

Iskall rubbed his hand with his neck, sheepish. “Yeah. I wanted to do something, so- do me a favor, and whatever the others made for you... keep ‘em in here. If you really decide not to come back... remember us with this.”

Grian emotion bubble in his throat. He unzipped the bag, loading the paper from Joe and Cleo, the lunchboxes from Wels, the radio from X and Doc, and the drawing from Stress into the bag.

“It’s incredible,” he remarked softly, “I love it. Thank you.”

“‘Fanks YOU,” Stress joked, nudging him softly in the arm, then turning serious, “For everything.”

“I don’t know what your choice is, but,” Iskall said gently, pulling his friends up into a standing position, then into a hug. “We’re gonna miss you.”

And at first it was Iskall and Stress, and then it was Wels, and then Mumbo, and soon everyone was together, and he was getting more hugs than he’d had in a very long time, many of the hermits’ eyes filled with tears.

“Goodbyes aren’t supposed to be this perfect,” Scar laughed, clearly emotional himself, and Grian agreed wholeheartedly.

“Might not be goodbye, though,” Mumbo reminded them, and Grian tried hard not to think about that.

“So when... do I go?” Grian asked X, who responded, “Whenever you’re ready.”

Grian turned to Mumbo, who nodded.

“I’m not ready, but I might never be, so...”

Grian slung his backpack over his shoulder, arranging his inventory as necessary. He put his com in the bag for good measure.

And soon Grian was building a staircase, his partner in the buddy system watching from behind him, the chatter from his friends behind him. He built up, one by one, stone smooth and comforting.

He reached the top, and turned back, locking eyes with Mumbo- who made his way up the stairs to stand with him. His friends were all there, watching, the room filled with noise.

Mumbo tapped his shoulder lightly, and he turned to his neighbor, who was holding a small brown pouch tied with yellow string, a little paper attached.

“What’s this...?” Grian asked quietly, taking it into his hands, and untying the ribbon.

“Just- in case we get separated... something to remember me by.”

He pulled the pouch open- it simply held redstone dust, bright and shimmering.

He laughed, throat catching as his eyes dampened. “Of course.”

He retied the pouch, inspecting the paper attached to the string. It read, in Mumbo’s pretty scripted handwriting, ‘Don’t Forget!’

He took in a deep breath, a few tears falling into the pouch. He took a deep breath, pulling his friend into one last hug before slipping the pouch carefully into his backpack.

They soon had everyone’s attention, and the room was a little quieter as X climbed up the stairs, handing Grian a flint and steel. He pressed it into the other’s hand, holding it for a minute, looking him in the eyes- a nonverbal goodbye. The admin then descended without a word.

Most were watching- some were crying.

Grian, taking a deep breath, felt anxiety bubble in his stomach- dizzying him to where he felt like he might faint- but he moved toward the portal nonetheless, crouching.

Clicking the flint and steel against the obsidian, it lit first time, a window of purple appearing in the frame. He immediately got a feeling from it- that this time was going to be different. The noises of the portal resonated through his soul, thrumming through his heart.

He rose, and Stress climbed up, wrapping him in one last hug, pulling back very quickly, still gripping his shoulders.

“If this is goodbye, then... remember us.”

Tears once again welled in his eyes.

She stepped back, making her way slowly down the stairs.

He grabbed Mumbo’s hand, pulling him closer to the portal, and then stepping backwards into it, his friend following.

The room became coated in purple as he felt the portal activating. His view of them was blurry.

“I love you all,” he said impulsively, genuinely, looking out at his friends.

“We love you,” Stress replied, and that was the last thing he heard or saw before Mumbo and himself entered a new environment.

They stepped out of the portal- Grian was shaking so hard that Mumbo had to grab his shoulders to keep him standing. His friend’s grip grounded him- this wasn’t the Nether.

It wasn’t what they expected, however- a dark, forest-like environment with blackened trees and dark purple skies, lightening striking across them.

“What?” Mumbo whispered, on edge, and Grian was confused and afraid at first as well- but a memory came back to him.

“The downside-up,” he realized- this was what Taurtis had been talking about, when he missed the portal jump.

Grian gripped into his friend to keep himself balanced. “No, this... this makes sense, actually.”

Mumbo walked around Grian, still holding his shoulders up, to look at his face.

Tears were streaming down Grian’s face, and he wasn’t making eye contact, but he was beaming.

“Taurtis was able to get to Evo from here.” He said, voice unstable. “We just need to figure out a way out- and then...”

Mumbo took in this information, thinking it over. “Okay,” he said finally, and helped his friend start walking.

“Where do we start?” Mumbo asked as they made their way down the most obvious path they saw.

In his peripheral, Grian saw a color other than purple or black- a little glowing blue object, hopping through the trees. His head snapped toward it, watching the little fox disappear in a direction the right. He pointed where it disappeared.

“There.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, and thank you for all your kind comments! I read everything, and it makes me so happy!
> 
> I changed my tumblr url: I am now saturnfifteen! Follow me there if you haven’t already!
> 
> Love you all!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! This chapter was about 2500 words, which is pretty decent, but I’d prefer my chapters going onwards to be 3000-3500 words, so hopefully the majority of them will end up a bit longer!


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